Clark Ziegler

Amy Dain on data gaps in MA housing permits: a call for action | Clark Ziegler posted on the topic | LinkedIn Great post today by Amy Dain at Boston Indicators about the extreme data gaps on local permitting for new housing in Massachusetts. In my opinion Amy's "what to do about it" doesn't go quite far enou...

I love Amy's thinking (as always) but in my view her proposed solution is not nearly strong enough or fast enough. More here: www.linkedin.com/posts/clarkz...

...we have a fantastic staff & national reputation for policy leadership, innovation & impact. We’ve helped 59,000 families access affordable housing through our financing programs & our unique partnership w/ banks has delivered $6.5 billion in below-market financing. Send good candidates our way!

Search is now open for my position as executive director at MHP as I retire early next year. Details at www.mhp.net/careers. After 40 years I'll be 2nd to last of the MHP OG to leave the workforce, leaving it to Kate Racer to carry on for the rest of us. If you don't know MHP... 1/2

This is a great time to recognize all the MHP staff – at least a dozen by my count -- who first proposed a multifamily zoning mandate to the legislature in 2013, helped get it enacted, shaped its implementation, and have subsequently seen through results in more than 130 cities and towns to date.

MHP (Massachusetts Housing Partnership) on LinkedIn: MHP is pleased the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the… MHP is pleased the Mass. Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the MBTA Communities Act in a landmark ruling issued yesterday which also confirmed the…

This is truly a big win that has implications far beyond just the MBTA Communities law. A strong state role in establishing minimum statewide zoning standards will help ensure the growth, prosperity and affordability of the Commonwealth for years to come.

bit.ly/3Wdg7Nu

Clark Ziegler on LinkedIn: What lies beneath towns may be the downfall of the MBTA Communities law Not so fast! A GBH story today described the lack of sewer capacity as the possible "downfall" of the MBTA Communities law. The story was incomplete, at best,…

As Daniel Patrick Moynihan said: everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to their own facts. Here's my take on a recent GBH story about the MBTA Communities law. bit.ly/49WfUD0

Sure, people have every right in the world to complain but not -- in my view -- without acknowledging the legitimacy of state law and not without offering other solutions. Thread 3/3

Thousands of local officials, planners & interested citizens recognize the severity of the housing crisis in Mass. & are working in good faith to comply with the law. More than two dozen communities have already submitted zoning districts for state approval & many more are well underway. Thread 2/3

‘It’s an invasion.’ In towns across Eastern Mass., resistance grows against ambitious state housing law. - The Boston Globe The state’s new housing law challenges Massachusetts’ long, proud history of letting towns control their own zoning, and resistance is growing fast.

This story reminds me of a famous Sam Rayburn quote: "Any jackass can kick down a barn, but it takes a good carpenter to build one." Thread 1/3 bit.ly/430POfP

Great food for thought here! I'm proud to work for an organization that has prioritized financing for modest-scale multifamily development. We need a lot more of it. open.substack.com/pub/noahpini...

That's a big misconception. A great strength of the law is that it *doesn't* tell towns what they have to approve. Every community tailors its own local solution. If zoning allows a sufficient # of multifamily housing units cities & towns have enormous freedom to set the rules & district boundaries.