At the end of June, Boston had reached $1.65 billion in housing starts for calendar year 2015. This pace is 138 percent higher than the $692 million then at the same time last year.
As of June 26, there were 2,461 units permitted, compared to 1,759 units permitted as of June 30, 2014 – a 40 percent increase over last year. This also marks a 184 percent improvement over production rates in 2013, when only 1,333 units of housing were permitted by June 26 of that year.
“This level of investment in Boston’s housing market is extraordinary,” said Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon. “As we work to make sure that Boston stays affordable, bringing new units on line at a variety of income levels is critical. Last quarter, nearly half of Boston’s housing starts were at the middle income level, and nearly a quarter of this year’s housing starts are affordable to lower-income households. Mayor (Martin J.) Walsh has made housing a priority of his administration, and these numbers are an indication that this focus is paying off.”
The city’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD) has supported this rapid development by streamlining their permitting processes, reducing bottlenecks and paving the way for the rapid housing development the city will require to meet its goals of producing 53,000 new units of housing by 2030.
ISD has implemented several new departmental policies and permitting procedures, which have enabled the department to process permits at twice the speed. In 2014, ISD formed a partnership with the City of Boston’s Department of Innovation Technology (DoIt) to significantly upgrade the permitting process. This collaborative effort has helped modernize and streamline the building and zoning application process.
In addition, ISD has developed a Zoning Advisory Sub-Committee, which is responsible for expediting the appeals process involving one and two family owner-occupied dwellings and small businesses applying for limited zoning relief. Other departmental upgrades have included extending the hearing hours of the Zoning Board of Appeals and the installation of digital kiosks for processing Board of Appeal applications, all of which contributed to building permits being issued on time and at a much faster rate than ever before.
Of the units currently permitted, 451 – 18 percent of all new units — are deed-restricted affordable housing, up 25 percent from 2014 (360 units) and 80 percent above the 2013 pace (251 units). South Boston and the Seaport District saw the highest number of units produced: 915 total and 124 affordable; followed by East Boston, with 374 units, 13 of which are affordable; and Dorchester, with 337 total units and 51 affordable units permitted.
