Whether by design or coincidence, less than a week after a study found that Massachusetts lagged the rest of the country in the issuance of building permits, Gov. Maura Healey announced proposed regulations to trim environmental review times for qualifying housing projects from one year to 30 days.
According to an analysis by U.S. Data Labs, a platform developed by the Pioneer Institute providing state-level data on policy areas, Massachusetts issued 14,338 building permits in 2024, or 201 per 100,000 residents — the sixth-lowest rate in the nation.
That’s well below the national average of 281 permits per 100,000 residents.
Massachusetts not only trailed most of the nation but also neighboring states.
Maine issued 6,034 permits in 2024, or 429 per 100,000 residents. Vermont and New Hampshire also outpaced Massachusetts per capita, at 409 and 352 permits per 100,000 residents, respectively.
Nationally, Idaho led with about 881 permits per 100,000 people, while Texas authorized the most permits overall at more than 225,756.
The governor indicated last week that more than 90,000 housing units have been completed or entered development since she took office, but that’s still far short of the state’s estimated need for 220,000 homes by the end of the decade.
Healey first highlighted the 90,354-unit figure in August on the anniversary of last summer’s housing bond law, which she said laid important groundwork for boosting supply
Healey framed the draft regulations as a “nation-leading” effort that would make it faster and easier to build homes in Massachusetts and bring down housing costs for all residents, which have soared in the state since the pandemic due to limited inventory.
“It’s our job to make sure government moves at the speed of business, and cutting these regulations will reduce review times from more than a year to 30 days and supercharge the building of homes across Massachusetts,” Healey said in a statement.
The governor appears to be taking a page out of the Devens Enterprise Zone playbook.
Devens Enterprise Commission, the zone’s one-stop permit authority and land-use agency, has played a major role in transforming the former Army base into a business development dynamo.
DEC — as it’s now known — has attracted over 120 businesses employing more than 6,000 workers; it’s also home to approximately 1,000 full-time residents.
As the one-stop permitting and regulatory board for Devens, DEC not only cuts administrative red tape, it also provides services of municipal boards such as planning, health and zoning, while also acting as its historic commission.
If Healey’s expedited plan can accomplish a semblance of Devens’ commercial development, it would certainly accelerate housing production in this state.
Healey’s initiative doesn’t give developers carte blanche.
Projects must meet a set of seven criteria in order to move quickly through a review by the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office.
In order to qualify for the fast-track review, housing developments must designate at least 67% of their project for a residential purpose, with the remainder for commercial uses; meet certain unit per acre thresholds for different types of housing; and comply with specific energy efficiency standards.
New developments must also be constructed outside of floodplains and other highest hazard areas, and redevelopment projects must build outside the highest hazard areas and follow “resilient design principles,” according to the Healey administration.
Projects must have enough water supply, wastewater capacity, and energy infrastructure; limit the extent of new traffic, with higher thresholds if located near transit; and could only alter up to five acres of undeveloped land or up to 10 acres with a tree preservation and replanting plan.
Developers whose projects meet these requirements can file a shorter environmental notification form rather than a detailed environmental impact report. That change, according to the Healey administration, could shorten review processes from one year or more to just 30 days.
“Predictable and appropriately constrained review timelines help multi-family developments move efficiently from concept to construction to ribbon-cutting, creating more supply and helping to limit developers’ exposure to the type of cyclical market risk that impedes project starts,” Michael Cantalupa, chief development officer at real estate developer The Davis Companies, said in a statement provided by the governor’s office.
Massachusetts Climate Chief Melissa Hoffer said the draft regulations the Healey administration filed with the Secretary of State’s Office “will deliver more units, faster, and smarter, with long-term energy cost savings for homeowners and renters.”
“We don’t have to choose between building the housing we desperately need and protecting the forests, farmlands, wetlands, and biodiversity that makes Massachusetts one of the best places to live in the country,” Hoffer said in a statement.
Members of the public can provide feedback on the draft regulations until 5 p.m. on Oct. 31. Virtual information sessions and public hearings on the regulations are scheduled for Oct. 14 and Oct. 15.
While a welcome addition to the housing-production tool box, Healey’s initiative still requires developers to jump through several regulatory hoops before breaking ground.
And other questions, including whether these expedited developments can circumvent local zoning restrictions, must be clarified.
But we’ll give the governor at least an “A” for further exploring ways to solve this seemingly intractable problem.
