Municipal Policies and Programs
Local policies and programs can have significant effects on residential development and housing stability.
Finding homes that are universally designed or adapted to the needs of people with disabilities may be difficult.
Universal Design incorporates the needs of everyone, including the older adults and people with disabilities, into a design to allow its use by the greatest number of people regardless of age or ability. Municipal policies can require universal design for municipal facilities like schools, councils on aging offices, town halls and public spaces.
Households that can generally afford their housing costs may be vulnerable to eviction or foreclosure as a result of an unexpected expense or neighborhood-level factors such as rising housing demand that leads increased housing cost or owners of rental properties to sell or repurpose their properties to realize a higher rate of return. i
Municipalities can protect residents by prohibiting “no-fault” evictions, or the attempt by landlords to evict renters despite on-time payment of rent and adherence to the rules. Municipalities may also ensure right to council for all eviction proceedings and support organizations that provide low- or no-cost legal advice and representation to tenants dealing with serious housing issues.
A change in ownership can lead to rent increases or the loss of affordable units. Right of First Refusal ordinances facilitates the transfer of ownership of rental properties to tenants, a tenant organization, or a partner who is committed to maintaining affordability.
Fair housing laws are intended to ensure that people have equal access to housing that meets their needs. These laws prevent housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, or family status (e.g., federally protected classes) or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, veteran history/military status, and source of income (e.g. Massachusetts protected classes). The laws also enable the people who experience it to seek redress for the wrong done to them. A municipality can affirmatively further fair housing through policies by:
Establishing a practice of examining zoning policy and design guidelines according to how it advantages or disadvantages groups protected under fair housing laws.
Clearly stating support for fair housing in all policies and activities and participate or lead educational programs.
Monitoring fair housing impediments and violations in the practices of lenders, housing providers, the local real estate market can further encourage all actors to obey the law
Municipal policy can require new development projects over 25,000 square feet to meet the requirements of the most current applicable USGBC (United States Green Building Council) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and/or other applicable green building rating systems. A community could adopt green and fit buildings policies for school and municipal construction projects
Taking into consideration the health of people who occupy buildings, Green Buildings address energy efficiency, indoor air quality, sunlight, stormwater management, urban heat island effects and other environmental issues to improve occupant health.
Fit buildings promote physical activity as part of the daily behavior of occupants. For example, a building’s design can increase stair use by locating the stairs prominently by the entrance.
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