Top Priorities – 2025-2026 Legislative Session
On July 8, 2026 the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed H.5562 – An Act Relative to Economic Development in the Commonwealth by a vote of 148-2. This bill is the House’s version of the Mass WINS Act filed by Governor Healey in April, and authorizes over $500 million in spending along with a slew of policies designed to stimulate new housing production and economic growth across the Commonwealth.
As filed, the bill includes two pro-housing policy reforms; An Act to Promote Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) and Statewide Site Plan Review.
These are crucial policies yet more needs to be done. We are proposing that the Senate include statewide parking reform that would remove minimum parking mandates for new homes built within ½ mile of public transportation and cap parking minimums at no more than one space per unit in most other instances.
More about Economic Development Pro-Housing Policies
Statewide Parking Reform
Local parking mandates are zoning laws that require homebuilders to provide a set number of parking spaces when building new homes. Many of these laws were put in place decades ago and often require more spaces than residents actually use, making housing more expensive, limiting where and how many new homes can be built, and weakening our economy. They also require the construction of impervious surfaces that increase flood risk, degrade water quality, and intensify urban heat island effects.
Yes in God’s Backyard (YIGBY)
YIGBY is a policy that would allow faith-based institutions to build multi-family housing by-right on land they already own. According to an analysis by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, more than 4,850 parcels owned by faith-based institutions in Massachusetts have the potential to support new housing. By opening up this land for new, affordable homes, YIGBY is a critical tool in helping us address our housing shortage and making Massachusetts more affordable.
Under the version passed by the House, at least 20% of homes must be income-restricted, and projects may be built up to 45 feet in height unless local zoning allows taller buildings. YIGBY builds on the success of the Affordable Homes Act, which legalized accessory dwelling units statewide, by making it easier to create additional homes in communities across Massachusetts. To learn more about YIGBY, visit CHAPA’s website.
Site Plan Review
Site plan review is generally understood to be the process for determining whether a proposed development, like new housing conforms to local regulations, such as those set by the Fire or Health Departments. However, because Massachusetts law does not define the process or establish minimum standards, municipalities have developed widely varying procedures that often create unnecessary delays, uncertainty, and opportunities to obstruct housing projects. The language included in the economic development bill closes this gap; it establishes a clear definition for site plan review, sets timelines and appeals processes, and creates guardrails to ensure that site plan review is not misused to stop new construction.
2025 – 2026 Policy Priorities
Additional Legislative Priorities
Abundant Housing MA’s additional policy priorities are divided into three distinct categories: 1) Building More Homes, 2) Supporting Renters, and 3) Investing in Affordable Housing.
These categories are based on Shane Phillips’ framework in The Affordable City of “The Three S’s of Supply, Stability, and Subsidy.” Supply refers to policies aimed at increasing housing production, stability to tenant protections, and subsidy to increasing funding for rental assistance and income restricted housing.
The purpose of his framework and ours is to develop a policy agenda that hopefully advances our mission of tackling the housing shortage and creating housing abundance in Massachusetts, while also meaningfully addressing the needs of the low- and moderate-income renters who are most directly impacted by high housing costs.