Affordable Housing Goals Rise In Boston: Mayor Walsh

BOSTON, MA — Compounding Boston's affordable housing problem is a growing population. Wednesday, in the face of this new reality, the mayor announced the city has plans to raise the number of housing units by 2030, with a special focus on affordable housing.

Mayor Marty Walsh's office released an update on its 2014 report, "Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030." The plan outlines increases the city's goal to create 69,000 units of housing by the year 2030, up from its original goal of 53,000 units based on an estimate of 759,727 residents in 2030.

City officials said they were already outpacing the earlier goal with nearly 18,000 units completed and close to 9,500 more are under construction.

Walsh and other city officials met with reporters Tuesday to discuss the report, WBUR reported, saying the city is committed to having one-fifth of housing units in Boston continue to be deed-restricted as affordable housing.

For good reason: Twenty-two percent of households (without a student living in them) are considered "severely cost burdened," and put more than 50 percent of the household income toward housing costs.

The 2030 plan to create additional units of income-restricted housing will include mostly apartments, but also will include condominiums and houses.

The focus of the plan is to "make sure that people can stay in the city of Boston ... stopping displacement and the concern for gentrification that's happening," Walsh said. "It's one of those things that it's a constant everyday battle to make sure we do this," according to WBUR.

Read more about the criticism and the plan to renovate thousands of Boston Housing Authority properties as WBUR reported here: Boston Ups Its Target For New Housing Creation To Keep Pace With Population Growth

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Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff