In a bid to tackle the housing crisis head-on, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has made a tangible move through its State Land for Homes initiative. As reported by Massachusetts Government, on Wednesday, a fruitful auction overseen by JJ Manning Auctioneers sold five parcels of state-owned property, amounting to nearly $3 million in revenue—a clear sign of the state’s commitment to developing more affordable housing options.
These five parcels, situated across different Massachusetts towns, have been sold with conditions: a 30-day due diligence period for the buyers before the final closing. Keeping in stride with the 2024 Affordable Homes Act, these properties in Westborough, Wilmington, and Northborough come with the requirement for municipalities to permit housing at a density of minimum four units per acre, alongside obligations to comply with Inclusionary Zoning for affordable housing.
“This auction is an important milestone in our efforts to make state-owned land available for housing development, so we can get more reasonably priced homes built more quickly in this state,” Governor Maura Healey stated in a Massachusetts Government press release. Advancing the larger strategy for housing, the administration has implemented several initiatives, including the Affordable Homes Act, the MBTA Communities Law, and the Momentum Fund, since the inception of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities last year…