Mass. officials unveil inventory of state surplus land to speed housing production

Governor announced that the state has completed an inventory of state-owned surplus land that could be used for housing and released initial sites to developers. “Today, we released the results in Massachusetts' first ever complete inventory of state owned surplus land that could be used for housing,” the governor said, adding the inventory covers “more than 3 dozen sites covering about 450 acres of land that could be used to build several thousand homes.”

The announcement comes as state leaders move to speed housing production by using public land and removing legal and procedural barriers. The governor said the administration is preparing requests for proposals and auctions to transfer parcels to developers and directed agencies to “do everything they can to speed permitting, to expedite work with municipalities and private developers.”

Ed Augustus, secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, credited the Affordable Homes Act for shortening the traditional disposal process. “In the Affordable Homes Act, we added language ... that took out what…