AP Calls Question 7: Mass. Voters Narrowly Reject Starter-Home Lot Sizes

Massachusetts voters narrowly rejected Question 7, the ballot measure that would have let single-family homes be built on lots as small as 5,000 square feet, the Associated Press projected Friday afternoon, Nov. 6, three days after the Nov. 3 election, according to WBUR and CBS Boston. The “no” side led with 50.6% of the vote.

Related: AP Calls Question 5 Down as Mass. Starter-Homes Question 7 Stays Too Close to Call.

What we know

CBS Boston reported the result as 50.6% “no” to 49.4% “yes,” a difference of 32,322 votes out of more than 2.5 million cast. Reports differ slightly on how much of the count was in when AP made its projection. WBUR said 97% of precincts were reporting; CBS Boston said 99% of votes had been counted.

Question 7 was the last of the state’s nine ballot questions to be decided and the closest race on the Massachusetts ballot, CBS Boston reported.

What Question 7 would have done

The measure would have amended the state zoning act, Chapter 40A, to set a statewide minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet for single-family homes, WBUR reported. Boston was exempt because it has its own zoning law and does not fall under Chapter 40A.

Qualifying lots would have needed public water and sewer service and at least 50 feet of frontage on a street or public way, according to WBUR. Cities and towns would still have been able to regulate height, parking, setbacks and short-term rentals. Most land zoned for single-family homes in the state requires 1 to 2 acres, according to a National Zoning Atlas report cited by WBUR.

Competing estimates of the effect

The two main forecasts of how many homes the measure would have produced differed widely:

• Legalize Starter Homes, the group that led the campaign, estimated 2,200 to 5,700 net new homes per year, according to WBUR.
• The Center for State Policy Analysis at Tufts University estimated 350 to 1,200 net new homes per year, WBUR reported.

Pre-election polls also pointed in different directions. A UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found 65% support and 21% opposition, while a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll found 41% for and about 40% against, WBUR reported.

Who backed it and who opposed it

Supporters included housing advocates, business associations, progressive groups and elected officials, including Gov. Maura Healey, according to WBUR. They argued smaller lots would encourage modest “starter homes” for first-time buyers and give older residents more options to downsize.

There was no formal opposition committee, but the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which represents local officials in the state’s 351 cities and towns, was a vocal critic, WBUR reported. Adam Chapdelaine, the association’s executive director and CEO, told CBS Boston that “nothing about the language actually would have created affordable housing.” Critics also argued the measure would take zoning decisions away from local officials.

What happens next

With the measure defeated, cities and towns keep setting their own minimum lot sizes for single-family homes under Chapter 40A, the law the question would have changed. Follow statewide results on the Massachusetts Election Tracker and more coverage in Massachusetts politics.

Sources

• WBUR: Question 7: Mass. voters reject measure to allow single-family homes on small lots
• CBS Boston: Massachusetts voters narrowly reject Ballot Question 7 on single-family home zoning