Massachusetts unveils first statewide housing plan, sets 222,000-unit target by 2035

Governor Maura Healey on Wednesday unveiled "A Home for All," the first comprehensive statewide housing plan in Massachusetts history and set a target to produce or preserve 222,000 housing units by 2035.

The plan, assembled by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities with input from more than 3,000 residents and a Housing Advisory Council, lays out region-specific needs and strategies the administration says are intended to bring housing online faster and reduce costs. "This is the first time this kind of comprehensive statewide planning for housing has ever been done in Massachusetts history," Healey said.

The release highlights several policies and recent actions the administration says will help meet the target: the Affordable Homes Act (which the administration described as unlocking roughly $5.2 billion in opportunity), a new statewide allowance for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that the administration says could unlock about 10,000 units, and implementation work under the MBTA Communities Act. "We filed and passed the Affordable Homes Act, which has unlocked $5,200,000,000 in opportunity, to build housing in the state," Healey said; in remarks about implementation she also referred to the legislation as a $5 billion bill while urging swift distribution of funds.

Ed Augustus, secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, said the plan is intended to give local officials data to guide zoning and project decisions. "One of the goals of this report is to make sure that when a planning board, a town meeting is grappling with how to do the zoning for MBTA or there's a project ... there's information, there's facts, there's demographic trends that hopefully inform the debate," Augustus said. Augustus also said more than 3,000 units are already in the pipeline in MBTA-created zones.

The plan also addresses state-owned public housing: officials said Massachusetts has about 43,000 state-owned public housing units that house roughly 70,000 people and that the Affordable Homes Act increases capital investment in public housing — the administration described that increase as tripling the amount of capital invested to modernize and decarbonize the stock.

Speakers emphasized the plan is a first step and that additional public and private investment, local zoning changes and regulatory adjustments will be required. "There is more that will be needed in public private investment, policy and regulatory change at the state and local level, and in harnessing our collective will," Keith Ferry, chief executive officer of Wayfinders and a member of the Housing Advisory Council, said.

Officials also addressed political and economic headwinds. Healey said she opposed proposed federal tariffs that she warned could raise construction material costs and slow housing production. She described recent federal funding freezes as "very concerning" and noted litigation over those freezes. During questions, Healey acknowledged pushback in some communities to the MBTA Communities Act but said the administration will continue local engagement and outreach.

Officials said the full plan and detailed regional analyses will be posted at mass.gov in the spring to help local elected officials, planners and advocates use the data in town meetings and planning processes. The administration did not announce new legislation or binding targets for individual municipalities at the event, and there were no formal votes at the briefing.

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State officials said next steps include implementing provisions of the Affordable Homes Act, supporting local zoning changes under the MBTA Communities framework, rolling out the detailed plan materials online and continuing outreach to communities that have resisted zoning changes. The administration said it will monitor federal developments that could affect materials costs and funding flows and continue to engage legislative partners on implementation.