I am very proud that my daughter Kate, once headed for a career in the finance world, has decided to become a teacher. It is a wonderful profession, and I hope that more people of all ages will answer this call. It is important that we ensure teachers, firefighters, and our children can live in the communities in which they grew up. Tonight, I renew my commitment to increase housing opportunities across Massachusetts. Next week, I will file an executive order to create a Special Commission on Barriers to Housing Development.
Restrictive barriers limit housing production and increase costs.
This commission will identify those restrictions that should be eased in order to facilitate the development of new and affordable homes. Later this month, Jane Swift and I will file a legislative package to increase the housing supply. These measures will include two bills we filed last year that the Legislature failed to pass. The first bill provides financial incentives to affordable housing developers to encourage new starts. The second bill will make nearly 1,000 acres of underused state property available to builders and communities to build new housing.