Vote Yes on Ballot Question 7

To the Editor for the Waltham Times:

It’s no secret that Waltham is considerably less expensive than our immediate neighbors. The average single family home in Belmont, Newton, or Lexington sells for over $1.6 million dollars, affordable only to households that earn $400,000 a year. Here in Waltham, the average single family home is half that cost.

The reason for this difference is a policy choice. In Waltham, starter homes are abundant: our community has many single family homes under 1,500 sq ft for sale at any given moment. Compare that to Lexington or Newton, where only 5% of available homes are of this size. Or compare that to Belmont, where there are zero small single family homes available for sale at the time of this writing.

Our housing affordability crisis may be complex, but some of its solutions are simple. Bigger homes cost more, and smaller homes are more affordable. One of the best ways we can solve this crisis is to point to other communities and tell them to be more like Waltham. Build starter homes rather than McMansions. 

On November 3, voters have the opportunity to vote yes on ballot question 7. Billed as Legalize Starter Homes, this question would prohibit towns from requiring lot sizes larger than 5,000 square feet (about the size of an NBA basketball court) for single family homes wherever there is sewer and water service. This modest zoning reform will reduce housing costs and expand homeownership opportunities for young families, downsizing seniors and first-time buyers of all walks of life.

Question 7 would have a modest impact on Waltham, where 80% of our single family homes are already on small lots. But this would have a considerably huge impact on many of our more expensive neighbors who exclusively build McMansions and aren’t doing their part to provide reasonably affordable homeownership opportunities to the region. Waltham is doing its part. Now it is time to get the rest of the state on board as well.

Vote Yes on 7.

~Tom Benavides