BOSTON — Western Massachusetts affordable housing nonprofits are backing a bill that would outlaw certain local zoning restrictions against multifamily home developments at a recent State House hearing.
Valley Community Development Corporation Executive Director Alexis Breiteneicher told the Legislature’s Committee on Housing that mid-sized housing that fits into smaller rural communities is necessary amidst Massachusetts’ affordable housing crisis.
Valley CDC is a nonprofit based in Northampton that builds affordable housing, offers resources to first-time homeowners, and has built over 400 affordable homes across Northampton, Easthampton, Amherst and Hadley.
“The missing middle housing that really deals with not single-family homes, but also not 20-plus apartment buildings, is super needed,” Breiteneicher said in an interview. “And as I said in my testimony, we need housing of all types. All of it is really critical right now.”
Keith Fairey, president and CEO of Way Finders, testified alongside Breiteneicher at the hearing, stating that the opportunities for modest housing developments like duplexes and multifamily homes are “blocked by outdated zoning rules, minimum lot sizes, excessive frontage requirements, and parking mandates.”
Way Finders is a nonprofit based in Springfield that builds affordable housing, assists with home ownership, and offers emergency resources.
According to Fairey, western Massachusetts only allows 0.8 building permits per 1,000 residents, in comparison to the U.S. average being 4.1 building permits per 1,000 residents.
“If we were the state, that would make us the 50th in production,” Fairey said.
Northampton Republican City Committee chair Jay Fleitman expressed opposition to the bill’s state-imposed zoning regulations, insisting that the bill would lead to housing development that worsens traffic with the increase in population and causes unwanted large building projects in small neighborhoods.
“A one-sized-fits-all solution never really works,” Fleitman said.
If passed, the bill would outlaw any zoning ordinances or bylaws prohibiting the development of multifamily housing and duplexes in areas connected to sewer systems and centrally managed water. Dimensional restrictions are allowed by the bill, but the height of duplexes and multifamily houses cannot be restricted to less than two stories.
The bill would also outlaw minimum parking lot requirements on new residential developments.
Past state zoning reform laws that have addressed the affordable housing market include The Affordable Homes Act, signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey in 2024, and the “MBTA Communities Act,” signed into law by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2021.
Like the bill, the MBTA Communities Act promotes middle housing by mandating MBTA-serviced municipalities to zone at least one multifamily housing district. This law received resistance as several municipalities — Milton, Marshfield, Middleborough and Halifax — remained noncompliant to the state’s zoning regulations as of March 2025.
Breiteneicher expected some Northampton residents to push back on the bill if its enacted into law.
“Northampton is a pretty favorable community to do affordable housing development in, and even in that community, there are certain neighborhoods that really believe that anything more than a single family is detrimental to the character of the neighborhood,” Breiteneicher said.
Joanna Malvas writes for the Gazette as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.