Legalize Starter Homes

07/22/2026

Our campaign has officially reached the 2026 ballot and will appear as Question 7 this November! We are thrilled to be on the ballot this year and to offer voters a real solution to the housing crisis, and enable families and young people to stay here. The availability of more single-family homes across the state is critical to making Massachusetts a more affordable place to call home.

Massachusetts voters will face a long list of ballot questions​ in November 2026.

07/09/2026

"Without rapid homebuilding, the housing shortage will choke our region's economic health." Our campaign would speed up production and create more starter homes for families across Massachusetts.

Housing production has not kept up with Greater Boston's booming economy and job creation.

07/06/2026

"There is no disagreement over the stakes. Amid fears about stemming the tide of out-migration for cheaper pastures, polling finds that affordable housing remains a chief anxiety for young residents.

The November ballot will almost certainly feature one question that backers say will help ease the housing crunch. A question dubbed the Legalize Starter Homes initiative would reduce the minimum lot sizes required for single-family homes if they have water and sewer access." 

A rundown of recent actions, pending proposals, and actions at the Supreme Judicial Court influencing housing policy more aggressively than any single piece of legislation.

06/22/2026

Massachusetts is falling farther and farther behind in building houses, especially starter homes for young families and smaller homes for older residents. Read more about how our campaign is advocating for a solution to the state's housing crisis.

Massachusetts has become "a victim of our own affluence," said Andrew Mikula, the report's author. "It's like we forgot how to build smaller homes that can be more affordable for folks."

06/13/2026

People from every corner of the state have sent in signature forms to add their names as supporters of our campaign. Thank you to everyone who has signed in support of our ballot initiative! Together, we can give families across Massachusetts more opportunities to build and buy homes they can afford.

06/11/2026

Our campaign to build more homes and make Massachusetts more affordable was featured on NBC Boston this week, including an interview with our campaign chair. Check out the full spot here:

Housing advocates are pushing for a change in required lot sizes for homes.

06/08/2026

From WCVB Channel 5 Boston: Bold moves needed on housing. "We know that high housing costs are holding back young people and families from achieving the American dream. They are also making it harder for Massachusetts to maintain a competitive business edge. Beacon Hill has made incremental moves designed to increase housing production, despite resistance from many cities and towns. But the state needs to take much bolder steps. A campaign to reduce the minimum lot size for single-family homes statewide could be on the ballot in November. Allowing single-family homes on lots as small as 5,000 square feet is one of the ways the chamber says Massachusetts can “supercharge” housing production and help bring down costs."

High cost of housing is causing Massachusetts to lose its competitive business edge.

05/30/2026

HUGE NEWS: The New York Times Editorial Board just endorsed our campaign!

"Massachusetts typifies the problem that we described in an editorial last week: Many of the country’s strongest job markets are in coastal regions that have refused to build enough new housing. This November, Massachusetts has a chance to do better. It can live up to its self-image as a progressive, inclusive state by passing a ballot initiative to override stifling local housing rules that harm the young at the expense of the old and the middle class at the expense of the wealthy. The initiative would prevent many towns from setting needlessly large minimums for lot sizes and effectively blocking the construction of middle-class homes. The campaign, Legalize Starter Homes, is now trying to gather the nearly 12,500 signatures it needs before June 17 to place the measure on the ballot. We endorse the initiative."

Read the full article here:

Blue states like Massachusetts need to be part of the solution.

05/26/2026

A new report by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce finds that the Massachusetts housing crisis is pushing the workforce out of the state. "Housing is becoming the dominant issue as it relates to our competitiveness, and we just need to match the degree of crisis with the boldness of our interventions," Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce President and CEO James Rooney said. Read more at WCVB Channel 5 Boston:

Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce calling for action to combat exodus of talent from Massachusetts.

05/19/2026

From The New York Times Editorial Board: America Needs to Build New Housing. As housing costs soar, people in Massachusetts and acrosss the country need access to more homes including different sized houses for all stages of life. That’s what our campaign aims to help our residents with.

Basic economic principles point to the solution for the housing affordability crisis.