en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Greater Grove Hall Main Streets association and Boston architecture firm Payette recently proposed a new initiative called "Urban Starter Homes," outlining a strategy that combines city-owned land, modular housing, and land-use reforms to build affordable housing. The affordable housing plan focuses on utilizing Boston's existing vacant land resources for infill development.

Ed Gaskin, executive director of Greater Grove Hall Main Streets, explained in "CommonWealth Beacon" that the plan relies on using 1,200 vacant lots owned by the city of Boston, including at least 158 "sliver lots" typically smaller than 3,000 square feet, which are considered suitable for infill residential development. "Individually, these lots are often seen as too small or irregularly shaped to attract private development," Gaskin said. "But collectively, they represent a significant public asset that has largely been excluded from the city's housing strategy."

According to Gaskin, the city of Boston has identified approximately 530 lots suitable for residential development, which could be transformed into 1,500 or more affordable housing units. The "Urban Starter Homes" proposal views "these lots as the foundation for a replicable model housing system, rather than as leftover parcels." The proposal calls for long-term ground leases with the city, allowing residents to own their homes without paying for the land value.

The affordable housing plan recommends building three-family homes—a common housing type in Massachusetts that can efficiently utilize these small lots. By employing modular housing materials, the project can significantly reduce costs and construction time. Gaskin believes the plan "is closer to a market-based solution than traditional affordable housing models—where the public sector sets conditions by retaining the land, and the private market does what it does best: building, financing, and delivering housing at scale."

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