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Coalition Urges $300M‑a‑Year Split for Housing and Climate via ‘AHEAD’ Bill
Summary
Nonprofit developers, regional planners and environmental advocates told the revenue committee the AHEAD Act’s modest real estate excise increase would produce recurring funding for affordable housing and climate resilience, and they outlined possible program uses and allocation priorities.
BOSTON — Nonprofit housing developers, municipal planners and climate groups told the Joint Committee on Revenue on Wednesday that increasing the real‑estate excise fee under the AHEAD Act (H.3194 / S.1973) would generate roughly $300 million annually to fund affordable housing and climate adaptation projects.
Nathaniel Shea, public policy director at the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), and Josh Fiala, land‑use director at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), said the bill would roughly double the current excise percent (from 0.456% to 0.912%) and split new revenue 50/50 between the state’s Global Warming Solutions Trust Fund and housing trust funds that support production, preservation and vouchers.
Shea told the committee the revenue would provide a sustainable funding stream for programs already in place — for example, rental vouchers, preservation grants, and supportive housing — while also expanding building decarbonization and resilience programs. Fiala said aligning housing and climate dollars under a continuing revenue source would help municipalities tackle both challenges and could bring Massachusetts’ excise rate closer to neighboring states.
Speakers from community development corporations, the Conservation Law Foundation, 350 Mass, and local nonprofits described local needs: decarbonizing older housing stock, weatherizing low‑income homes, and municipal resilience projects such as coastal protections and heat mitigation. Dorchester Bay EDC and Boston Climate Action Network representatives said environmental‑justice neighborhoods are already experiencing record heat and flooding and need recurring state support.
Panelists emphasized flexibility: the bill directs revenue to existing trust funds managed by executive agencies to allocate funds across programs such as the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, housing vouchers, and energy retrofits. Nathaniel Shea and others said their estimate of roughly $150 million per side is conservative and that the revenue would scale with the real estate market.
Advocates asked the committee to report the bill favorably so funds could be programmed quickly if enacted; no committee action or vote occurred Wednesday.
