Esteemed Members of the Joint Committee on Housing:
We are Somerville YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard), a local housing group based in Somerville.
We are Somerville residents advocating for smart growth that benefits everyone. We’re part of a nationwide movement to create abundant housing, available to people in cities that have suffered from displacement and expensive market rate housing.
We wish to express our strong support of (H.1542 / S.964) – An Act to Study Single-Stair Residential Buildings. Outdated building codes are not the best-known obstacle to housing creation, but they are a significant problem. Single-stair construction in particular is a safe, cost-effective way to build apartments suitable for families with children, to utilize smaller lots, and to design buildings that address many abutter concerns about the appearance of contemporary architecture. Several other states — as well as significant portions of Europe and Canada — allow or are in the process of allowing this style of building, and we encourage you to follow suit.
We think three elements in particular highlight the need to study how to allow single-stair residential buildings in MA again:
- Single-stair buildings allow for more family sized homes.
- Without a requirement for two staircases, apartments can be differently configured, making it easier to build three and four bedroom homes.
- Single-stair buildings are ideal for smaller lots that are common in urban and downtown areas across Massachusetts, which is especially important for Somerville!
- This is a non-zoning change that could lead to 130,000 new homes within 1 mile of transit in Greater Boston alone.
Thank you for your attention, and for the recent efforts by the legislature to address the housing crisis, particularly the MBTA Communities Act and the Affordable Homes Act. While these are meaningful steps in the right direction, there is still more to be done.
A recent poll of Massachusetts voters found that housing remains the number one issue and that 81% of voters would support the state passing another bill to make it easier to build more homes. We ask that you report the Single-Stair bill out of committee favorably and continue to advocate for its passage this session.
Thank you,