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Tenants, land trusts and developers urge Massachusetts to adopt TOPA to preserve naturally occurring affordable housing
Summary
Witnesses told the Joint Committee on Housing that a Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) or local right‑of‑first‑refusal would give tenants and nonprofits a realistic chance to buy properties being sold to speculators, citing DC and San Francisco precedents and local Somerville successes.
Tenants, community land trusts and affordability advocates testified at length in favor of the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and related home‑rule petitions, saying the measure would give residents and mission‑driven buyers the chance to match third‑party offers and preserve naturally occurring affordable housing.
Tenant leaders from Devonscrest described a multiyear campaign to stop displacements after their complex was sold to an out‑of‑state corporate owner; they said TOPA would…
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