Housing in the Region
Housing is not important for what it IS, but for what it DOES. Housing is about much more than buildings. It’s about home, community, health, resilience and equity. It provides safety and stability. A place where young families can establish and grow roots in a community. A place where seniors can downsize while staying close to family, friends, amenities, and services crucial for them to age in community. A place where memories are made. We all need a home, but with dampened housing opportunities and an increasing desire to live in the region, not everyone has the chance for stability and choice. Housing is a fundamental need for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Ensuring access to affordable, safe, and suitable housing is crucial for the well-being of all community members. Making sure that the OCPC region has enough of those places to live for all kinds of people and all income levels is a core part of OCPC’s work. We can develop regional housing strategies that provide safe, healthy, affordable, accessible, and attainable housing for all in a community of their choice.
WHY THE REGION SHOULD FOCUS ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING
The region struggles to supply enough good, affordable, and accessible housing that is connected to jobs and services. People in our region need more housing choices that meet their needs and preferences and are suited for an aging population, increasing diversity, and changing living patterns. This includes more high-quality rental housing, housing located near public transit, accessible housing for older residents and people with disabilities, and housing near job centers. Without housing that is affordable to local workers and families, communities within the region may continue to lose the workforce and services that help them thrive, including teachers, nurses, firefighters, retail clerks, and waiters, and the many services they help bring to life. Click on the term above, Housing Choice, to learn more.
Housing Cost Burden
Cost Burden is defined as a household that spends more than 30 percent of its income on housing costs, including utilities. A household is severely cost-burdened if it spends more than 50 percent of its income on housing.
Within the OCPC region*, 29.7% of renters in Hanson are rent-burdened, compared to 34.5% of renters in West Bridgewater are severely rent-burdened. Conversely, 29.5% of homeowners in Halifax are cost-burdened, compared to 15.8 of homeowners in Hanson who are severely cost-burdened.
*The data on this page comes from two different Census tables. The renter data comes from Table B25070: Gross rent as a percentage of household income in the past 12 months. Because the 2016-2020 5-year survey is an estimate, the data contains margins of error, which were deliberately omitted for representative purposes. The data is therefore shown to depict trends and actual figures may differ. The owner data comes from Table B25091: Mortgage Status by selected monthly owner costs as a percentage of household income the past 12 months.
Aging in the Community
The aging in community refers to how municipalities can support residents staying in their homes and communities as they grow older. Projections predict that older residents will make up a larger proportion of the national and regional population in the next few decades. These trends will impact transportation, housing, and infrastructure needs. Planning for an aging population is an investment in the well-being of the entire community, as it benefits people of all ages and abilities, creating healthy, sustainable places for all residents.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR WORK
Housing is one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life and livelihood, playing a critical role in economic opportunity for individual workers and their families, affecting current and future workers, employers, communities, and regional markets OCPC has worked with dozens of communities to develop Housing Production Plans (HPPs). HPPs are a community’s proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing for its residents under M.G.L. Chapter 40B. These plans are developed in partnership with local officials and community members. Housing Production Plans consider the linkage between demographics, employment, and current housing supply and demand and will make recommendations for new and comprehensive approaches to meeting current and future housing needs. An HPP typically includes:
- Comprehensive housing needs assessment: Analyzing the community’s demographics, housing stock, and future housing needs.
- Affordable housing goals: Setting clear objectives for various housing types, including rental and homeownership options.
- Implementation strategies: Outlining steps and timelines to achieve these goals.
By having an approved HPP, towns can better manage comprehensive permit applications under Chapter 40B, ensuring decisions are consistent with local needs.
For more information on what goes into a Housing Production Plan, check out this helpful HPP Glossary.
Zoning changes and new bylaws are crucial for municipalities to address housing needs and achieve local goals. By regulating land use and building requirements, zoning policies help shape the character of a community, influencing both the built and natural environments.
OCPC supports municipalities by researching and drafting zoning updates allowing for mixed-use development, adoption of overlay districts, developing inclusionary zoning, and otherwise updating zoning bylaws or ordinances to allow and prepare for change.
Ensuring that the public is well-informed and actively involved in a planning process is crucial for creating effective and inclusive strategies. OCPC aids communities in the development of a comprehensive plan for community engagement and outreach. We assist in organizing and carrying out forums; creating, distributing, and analyzing surveys; and utilizing a variety of media platforms to inform the public about the planning process and to gather feedback.
For MBTA Communities information and resources, or to learn how OCPC is supporting communities in our region with compliance
Toolkits, Reports, and Resources
Here you will find everything from OCPC reports and resources to strategies on affordable housing, smart growth, and more.
OCPC Resources:
WATCH THE WEBINAR!
OCPC recently facilitated a webinar and panel discussion to demystify the Affordable Homes Act, which was prerecorded. Matt Noyes (Director of Policy, CHAPA) provided an overview of the 5 billion dollars of spending authorizations and policy initiatives contained within the Affordable Homes Act, MacKenzie Vianna (BSU student and OCPC intern) shared her challenges in finding a home that she could afford in the region, Jason Desrosier (Senior Planner for Housing and Public Engagement, OCPC) highlighted housing data for the OCPC region, and Iolando Spinola (OCPC Delegate At-Large and member of the Brockton Planning Board), Judi Barrett (Barrett Planning Group LLC), Val Massard AICP, CFM (Town Planner, Kingston), and Matt Noyes participated in a robust and engaging conversation about how the funding and policies of the Affordable Homes Act can provide and preserve affordable and safe housing choices for the region’s changing housing needs and priorities – topics of discussion included Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and Fair Housing.
External Sources:
- Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC)
- Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP)
- Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC)
- Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA)
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Boston Regional Office (HUD)
- Inclusionary Bylaws from MA Smart Growth Toolkit
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Housing Data:
MassBuilds is a definitive inventory of past, present, and projected real estate development across Massachusetts. This fully interactive website allows users to search, filter, summarize, and download information about over 3,500 residential and commercial development projects in the region. Available attributes about each project include housing units and commercial square footage, status, year of completion, parking availability, proximity to transit, and other information.
The Massachusetts Land Parcel Database is a statewide atlas of more than 2.1 million land parcel boundaries and associated tax assessor data. The database includes statistics about each parcel, including floor area ratio, assessed value per area, impervious surface, and other indicators.
