Challenging the protracted slog of housing development, Governor Maura Healey has filed reforms aimed at picking up the pace on construction projects across Massachusetts. Her administration intends to rewrite the playbook on environmental reviews, promising to chop down the timeline from a year or more to a brisk 30 days. This can only be a boon for those fatigued by the hurdles of bureaucracy—Governor Healey asserts that "When projects move faster, costs go down – and those savings matter," according to a report from the state's official news release.
Efficiency is the name of the game, with housing projects that manage to tick all the boxes on a new checklist—densely packed infill development and a safe distance from flood zones, for starters—able to zip through the environmental review. This is all part of a directive set to take hold on January 30. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll is backing up these claims, saying they are part of a whole-of-government approach that upholds environmental protections and propels housing production forward.
Alongside the housing impetus, certain ecological restoration efforts are being swept along in the streamlining efforts. Cranberry bog rehabilitation and partial dam removal projects, among other works, which previously might have languished in the sluggish current of review, are also expected to benefit from this overhauled process. Massachusetts appears to be setting its sights firmly on bolstering its climate resilience in the face of intensifying weather patterns brought on by climate change.
"We’re meeting the moment on housing while also making sure important ecological restoration projects move faster as we face more climate change-driven extreme weather," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper elucidated in the state's news release. With the changing world in mind, the new exemptions and simplifications in the review process seem to be Massachusetts's gambit to simultaneously confront housing scarcity and ecological challenges with renewed vigor.
Enthusiasm for these reforms isn't in short supply; Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus highlighted the urgency of the situation: "Any unintended delay in housing development is unacceptable when the state is experiencing a housing shortage." With the reform measures, officials are expecting to start seeing new homes coming onto the market with much greater speed, impacting housing costs and making the Massachusetts approach a potentially enviable blueprint for others grappling with similar issues, as mentioned in the press release.
Finally, the MEPA office will offer updated forms and a checklist to streamline project submissions starting February 3rd. These tools are designed to help developers ensure their projects are fully aligned with the fresh criteria and qualify for these expedited reviews. While the exact impact on the housing market remains to be seen, the state government is at the very least generating some compelling momentum toward that goal.
