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City Council adopts ordinance to prioritize affordable housing on surplus municipal property
Summary
The Boston City Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that makes affordable housing the city's preferred use for surplus municipal property, sets procedures and timelines for exception determinations, and requires annual public reporting on surplus-property outcomes.
The Boston City Council on Wednesday passed—12 to 0 in roll call—the Councilor Colette Zapata–led ordinance that prioritizes affordable housing as the preferred use for city-owned properties formally designated as surplus.
The ordinance requires early coordination among departments, gives the mayor’s Office of Housing (MOH) authority to evaluate surplus sites for affordable housing, lengthens the deadline for formal exception determinations to 180 days with a possible automatic 180‑day extension, and mandates annual public reporting that includes a summary of housing units created through surplus designations.
Councilor Colette Zapata, chair of the Committee on Government Operations, said the measure strengthens transparency and accountability for property the city no longer needs for municipal purposes, clarifies definitions (including a revised definition of “affordable housing” tied to Mass. General Laws and the…
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