It’s Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus now.
Gov. Maura Healey swore-in Augustus Thursday morning because the model new secretariat charged with overseeing housing in Massachusetts, decreasing related prices, and coping with the numerous totally different stakeholders within the business.
In his new function, Augustus mentioned he desires to maneuver shortly to stock surplus state land that can be utilized for housing manufacturing.
“There’s a lot of state land that isn’t necessarily being used right now. And that land belongs to the people of the commonwealth and that land should be put to use for the needs of the people of the commonwealth,” he advised reporters on the State House. “And there can’t be a more severe and significant and pressing need than creating housing.”
The new cabinet-level place completes the cut up of the unique Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development into two entities. The Department of Housing and Community Development will fall beneath Augustus’ purview.
Advocates have already began to pitch Augustus on early priorities they assume he ought to give attention to, together with zoning reforms and creating an Office of Fair Housing.
Sen. Lydia Edwards, an East Boston Democrat who co-chairs the Legislature’s Housing Committee, mentioned the audit of state land is an effective transfer and may stay a precedence through the first few months.
The lawmaker additionally pointed to a must effectively course of functions for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, which gives eligible low-income households and people with tenant and project-based rental subsidies.
“We learned that there’s about 1,300 applications for MRVP, that’s the state voucher, a month. And you can email it or mail it physically,” Edwards mentioned. “And when it’s emailed, it’s then printed out, and then the data is entered into a system. That’s a real easy fix, right? Just make the damn thing electronic completely.”
The Healey administration mentioned Augustus will work with everybody within the housing business, together with landlords.
Doug Quattrochi, the top of MassLandlords, mentioned Augustus ought to push Massachusetts in the direction of turning into a “multifamily as a right” state.”
“It just means the state recognizes it no longer has a compelling interest in telling landlords, property owners, homeowners, how many different groups of people can live in their building, as long as it’s safe,” he advised the Herald. “I don’t think Augustus is really going to work on that at all. I mean, that’s not his track record in Worcester. Worcester, most of its single-family still in terms of land area.”
Augustus most lately labored as town supervisor for Worcester and at one level throughout his profession, made his technique to Boston to function a state senator.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”