Massachusetts is grappling with a significant housing shortage, projected to fall short by 250,000 units over the next decade. Congressman Jake Auchincloss is calling for more aggressive state intervention to boost affordable housing development, warning that current efforts are falling far behind demand.

Speaking at the Charles River Chamber, Auchincloss described housing costs as “the single biggest economic challenge” facing the state. While Governor Maura Healey has set a goal of increasing housing supply by 222,000 units over ten years, Auchincloss warned that at the current pace, only a fraction of that will be built.

“We're on pace to build probably 10% of that. So we're not even trending in the right direction, actually,” he said.

He acknowledged the importance of existing policies, including the MBTA Communities Act, which requires multifamily zoning near transit, and the expansion of accessory dwelling units (ADUs). However, he stressed that the state must take even bolder steps.

“The state is also going to have to take more muscular action,” Auchincloss stated.

Among his proposals is an expansion of the Momentum Fund, a $50 million financing program for stalled mixed-income developments. “We’re very good as a government at subsidizing demand for housing. We’re less good at subsidizing the supply of housing,” he said, arguing that increased investment in supply-side solutions is necessary.

Auchincloss also called for repurposing underutilized properties, such as decommissioned prisons and military bases, to create large-scale housing developments without requiring local zoning approvals. “There's a decommissioned prison, there's decommissioned military bases throughout Massachusetts that could be directly rezoned by the state and built, not hundreds, but thousands, or even tens of thousands of units of housing,” he said.

Additionally, he suggested revising Chapter 40B, a state law allowing developers to bypass local zoning restrictions if affordable housing thresholds aren’t met. He described a potential regulatory overhaul as a “nuclear option” to push local governments into action.

Governor Healey, however, remained focused on current initiatives, pointing to the implementation of last year’s Affordable Homes Act. “We’re implementing the Affordable Homes Act right now. Excited to see more units coming online, and we’re just going to continue to find ways to bring more housing online,” she said.

With the housing crisis continuing to strain residents, the debate over how aggressively Massachusetts should intervene remains ongoing.

Originally reported by Sam Drysdale in Cape Cod Times.