Massachusetts is studying low-rise single-story buildings to increase supply
America’s task force of states where governors and lawmakers are fighting to reform housing policy to end the supply constraints at the heart of the country’s affordability crisis now counts Massachusetts among them.
By focusing on restrictive building codes and zoning laws, Gov. Maura Healey has adopted the approach that officials in other states and cities have taken before pulling the plug on legislation – read this story a year or so before writing a reform policy agenda.
Healey issued an executive order creating a technical advisory group to conduct the study. The order seeks ways to allow single-story tall buildings to continue safely while expanding the state’s housing options.
The group has a growing list of research studies and policy models from other areas to consider. Minnesota recently completed a year-long study evaluating single-stair construction in tall buildings. The state is now considering making changes to buildings up to six floors
Colorado, Texas, Montana and New Hampshire have passed new legislation. Los Angeles and Nashville are among the cities that have made the change
Like other states and cities that have studied the change, Healey’s order calls for the study group to include fire safety officials, architects, housing advocates and developers.
“By bringing together technical expertise and stakeholder input, this commission brings the Commonwealth one step closer to opening new, safe, and affordable housing at a time when our housing shortage continues to drive high housing costs across Massachusetts,” said Jesse Kannon-Benanava, the organization’s executive director. Many Houses in Massachusettssaid the statement.
Kannon-Benanava’s organization, which is part of a growing national network of “yes in my backyard,” is in the group.
It learns what to change
Current Massachusetts building codes generally require two enclosed stairways in mid-rise residential buildings. The standard limits how many units can fit into small or irregularly shaped spaces
Studies like the one in Minnesota show that carefully designed single-story buildings can reduce per-unit costs and make less crowded projects more financially viable.
The Massachusetts study will compare single-story and multi-story designs and recommend code changes that prioritize maintaining strong health safety protections. The group will also assess accessibility, ventilation, smoke control and fire service functions in potential new designs.
Addressing the housing shortage
The executive order comes as Massachusetts faces a severe housing shortage and rising costs. A state-authorized analysis estimates that Massachusetts needs to add at least 222,000 homes between 2025 and 2035. That number includes 57,200 homes for homeless relief, overcrowding and double occupancy alone. In Greater Boston, officials project an additional 121,000 housing units are needed over the next decade.
Changing building codes would be on top of other major housing measures that lawmakers and Healey have already put in place.
The 2021 Massachusetts Bay Transportation Communities Act added a section to the state’s zoning code, requiring the 177 MBTA communities to create at least one reasonable-sized district where multifamily housing is appropriately permitted. Those districts must allow at least 15 units per acre and cannot limit housing to elderly residents.
Where possible, communities should place these districts within half a mile of a subway, rail, bus or ferry stop. The law is pushing many areas in eastern Massachusetts to legalize multi-family housing near transit. It links new housing capacity with access to transport.
In 2024, Healey signed the Affordable Homes Act, a $5.16 billion housing and policy bill. The legislation increases funding for public housing, mixed-income rental development and affordable housing programs across the country. It also expands down payment assistance and sets aside mortgages in high-cost and seasonal communities.
The Affordable Homes Act requires communities to allow affordable service dwelling units in single-family homes. It also supports the conversion of vacant office and other commercial buildings into housing.
On the hiring side, voters in November can decide whether the state will revive hiring controls. The government instituted rent control in the 1970s in response to rising debt, but abolished it in the early 1990s.
Policies are not working as intended. Many apartment owners have chosen to convert apartments into owner-occupied units
Looking ahead
Massachusetts’ one-step study could be the next big step in the state’s comprehensive housing strategy, especially if lawmakers move quickly on their recommendations. If the commission certifies the one-story tall buildings as safe and affordable, Beacon Hill could usher in a new wave of unfilled projects with the latest design and financing changes.
Since most districts use the same single-story standards, developers can build a wider mix of multifamily housing in smaller urban areas. Since most districts use the same single-story standards, developers can add a wider mix of multifamily housing to smaller urban areas.
Over time, that change could create a large body of evidence showing when single-step tall structures work. That record can give fire officials more real-world data to refine safety rules. It would also make it easier for other states to follow through with their own code changes.
