Housing Advocates Release Boston City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Several City Council incumbents haven't bothered to submit responses.

2:03 PM EDT on August 31, 2023

Housing Advocates Release Boston City Council Candidate Questionnaire

The proposed Northampton Street Residences is one of the handful of housing developments that Boston approved in 2020 that will include no on-site parking lots or garages. The project would replace a surface parking lot with 47 new affordable homes adjacent to the Southwest Corridor Park and the Mass. Ave. Orange Line station. As of August 2023, the project has not yet started construction. Rendering by Höweler + Yoon Architecture, courtesy of the BPDA.

Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AHMA), a statewide housing advocacy organization, recently published a housing-focused questionnaire for Boston City Council candidates in advance of September’s preliminary elections.

The questionnaire features 20 questions that surveys candidates’ stances on issues such as mandatory off-street parking requirements, zoning for more affordable homes, community process, and Mayor Michelle Wu’s rent stabilization proposal.

AHMA distributed the questionnaire to the certified candidates via email earlier this summer with an initial deadline for completion by Friday, July 14.

As of Thursday, August 31, numerous candidates in contested district races – including several incumbents (Councilor Gabriela Coletta, Councilor Kendra Lara, Councilor Brian Worrell, and Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson) still had not submitted their responses.

“For decades Boston has underbuilt housing and continues to struggle to meet housing demands. We must elect officials with housing reform as a main focus. Through this questionnaire, we hope to generate thoughtful and reflective responses around the current state of housing in the city,” said Abundant Housing MA Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav in a press release.

AHMA has posted all of the responses on its website, abundathousingma.org.

Elections and Politics | Housing

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