Healey unveils historic $4B housing plan, includes WMass stop to tout measure
By SAM DRYSDALE
State House News Service
Published: 10/18/2023 6:53:47 PM
Modified: 10/18/2023 6:52:30 PM
BOSTON — Framing her new legislation as “historic” and “urgent,” Gov. Maura Healey detailed a wide-ranging $4 billion-plus housing bill Wednesday at several stops throughout the state, including Springfield, and speculated that its passage could provide a jolt for the 2024 construction season.
“We gotta get after it,” Healey said at a press conference in Chelsea, saying that residents across the state are feeling the pressure of a squeezed housing market marked by low inventory and high costs.
“Today is about meeting the moment. It’s about meeting the moment and the needs of residents across the state. We’ve heard you, we listened to you, and today we’re taking action and in the days ahead we’re going to need collective action and team work to get this done,” the governor said.
The bond bill — which the governor has dubbed “The Affordable Homes Act” — would invest $4.12 billion into spurring production of new units, upgrading aging and neglected public housing, and converting state land into housing-ready plots. Her office said the plan would unlock the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 65,000 homes, including creation of 45,000 new homes. Many of those homes would be located in western Massachusetts.
