Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell says she wants to establish a land bank, reform the Boston Planning & Development Agency and lead a citywide rezoning effort to address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Campbell is vying with at least four other prominent city leaders in the fall mayoral election: At-large City Councilor Michelle Wu, At-large City Councilor Anissa Essaibi-George, South End state Rep. Jon Santiago and former top city economic development official John Barros. Acting Mayor Kim Janey is also widely expected to run for the position.
Campbell’s campaign said her plan, released Thursday morning, offered “equity-driven solutions” that both used existing city housing assistance programs to provide immediate relief and “a holistic and innovative approach” to planning future development. Campbell and Wu had previously outlined their visions for development in the city in October of last year.
“I’ve seen firsthand the effects of Boston’s housing affordability crisis – from gentrification and displacement many of my neighbors and I experienced growing up in Roxbury and the South End to the number of constituents in Dorchester and Mattapan I work with as a district councilor who struggle to access or afford quality, stable housing as costs go up and wages remain stagnant,” Campbell said in a statement. “Now more than ever, safe and affordable housing is essential for residents to stay healthy and for Boston to be a resilient city. As Mayor, I will lead collaborative, innovative, and equity-driven solutions to end our housing crisis so that all Bostonians can benefit from the City’s growth.”
The plan offered six strategies.
Campbell said she would use the city Neighborhood Housing Division to launch a “highly functioning” land bank, support community land trusts that would build capital to help neighborhood residents buy homes, advocate for changes to federal affordable housing and area median income rules.
Campbell also said she would boost funding for the city’s Office of Housing Stability to aid renters and families facing displacement, eviction or homelessness, make the city’s pandemic-linked Rental Relief Fund permanent, create a workforce housing voucher program to reach low and middle-income residents, update the city’s Fair Chance Tenant Selection Policy to prohibit discrimination against potential tenants with histories in housing court, expand an existing landlord-tenant mediation program and guaranteed Boston renters legal representation in housing court. The plan also includes a promise of a “housing-first” approach to solving the city’s homelessness problem.
The document also proposes a “comprehensive” reform of the BPDA that would prioritize “consistency, transparency, and equity in planning processes” and create a department within the agency tasked with “proactive organizing, outreach, and representative community engagement.” Campbell’s plan also promises to streamline development review and permitting to reduce costs for developers and remove affordable housing projects from the city’s Article 80 large project review process.
Campbell’s plan also promises a zoning overhaul based on a city-wide plan developed with a “transparent, community-engaged process.” The plan promises Cambpell will allow developers, if they do not build the maximum-allowable number of units on a property, to transfer the right to build those units to another developer, an idea she said will help mid-sized property owners and community development corporations to build more housing. Along with that, the plan proposes increasing the city’s affordable housing requirement to 20 percent of all units in “neighborhoods with higher development and economic growth.” Campbell also said she wants to create a revolving loan fund to help finance the building of accessory dwelling units.
