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State committee hears broad support for 'Yes in My Backyard' zoning reforms to spur missing‑middle housing
Summary
A joint legislature housing hearing drew testimony from housing providers, municipal officials and developers endorsing bills to allow duplexes, triplexes and modest multifamily homes by right, tighten timelines and reduce parking mandates to unlock housing across the Commonwealth.
A joint legislative hearing on zoning and Chapter 40B on Tuesday drew sustained testimony in favor of bills commonly called “Yes in My Backyard” that would allow more duplexes, triplexes and modest multifamily housing as of right and reform local rules that block small-scale development.
Advocates and local elected officials told the Joint Committee on Housing the package would create predictable rules for “missing middle” housing and remove costly local requirements — especially parking quotas — that make small projects financially infeasible.
Advocates said the reforms matter because many Massachusetts communities cannot build large apartment complexes and so must rely on smaller projects to expand supply. “In Western Massachusetts, large apartment buildings are rarely possible,” said Keith Ferry, president and CEO of Way Finders. “The opportunities that we do have are in duplexes, triplexes, and modest multifamily homes.”
Why it matters: Witnesses told the committee that building more small-scale housing is the most realistic path to increased supply in many towns. Several…
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