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Join a timely conversation on Massachusetts’ housing affordability crisis and the policy tools needed to boost production. Featuring leaders from business, government, and research, this event explores what it will take to move housing forward across the Commonwealth.
07/15/2026
11:30am - 1:00pm
Hybrid | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
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March 27, 2023
The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce supports H.43, An Act to create the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and to rename the Executive Office of Economic Development. For employers in the region, the high cost of living in Greater Boston, including the cost of housing, affects their ability to attract and retain a talented workforce. The creation of a dedicated cabinet-level executive office is a timely and welcome proposal as the Commonwealth confronts major affordability challenges.
Housing is an urgent issue for Massachusetts. According to the 2021 American Community Survey, Massachusetts homeowners with a mortgage have the fourth highest housing costs in the U.S. The Zumper National Rent Report ranks Boston third most expensive for 1- and 2-bedroom apartment rents.[1] While many factors contribute to the state’s high costs, the core problem is driven by an imbalance between supply and demand. With an inadequate supply of housing due to years of underproduction, the Commonwealth will continue to lose its workforce to more affordable locations. From 2020 through July 2022, 110,000 people moved out of Massachusetts to other states. The Greater Boston area, and the state at large, must boost production to meet the housing needs of its residents.
The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) will be a leader in tackling the state’s housing challenges. This includes administering many of the state’s essential programs that support public housing, affordable housing creation, and market rate housing development. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, the Housing Development Incentive Program, and the revamped HousingWorks program (formerly part of MassWorks) are effective tools in incentivizing a variety of housing production, which EOHLC would oversee. Crucially, EOHLC will begin implementation of the MBTA Communities law that promotes transit-oriented housing development in 175 municipalities with access to public transportation. A cabinet-level secretariat will ensure that these priorities receive the focus and resources that the state’s housing challenge demands.
The creation of EOHLC will also allow the Administration to take other steps to promote housing development. For instance, the Chamber encourages EOHLC to create its own dedicated office of planning and research to improve statewide land use planning specifically for housing development and identifying critical infrastructure needs such as utility, transportation, open space, and access to job opportunities in cooperation with other agencies. EOHLC should explore creating regional housing production goals based on future housing needs, and strategically deploy its tools and resources to advance those goals while identifying infrastructure gaps and barriers to development. EOHLC should also identify and propose solutions to complex state and local barriers that inhibit the creation of adequate housing options for all income levels across the entire state.
The Chamber supports H.43 and looks forward to partnering with EOHLC on policies and programs that promote housing affordability and ensure Massachusetts can attract and retain a talented workforce.
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