US voters to decide on housing affordability measures in November

Voters in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island will evaluate six housing-related ballot measures this November. This represents the highest number of such measures in a single election year in at least two decades, according to Ballotpedia.

The proposed measures involve diverse strategies to address housing affordability, including the approval of billions of dollars in bonds for new housing and home purchase assistance, loosening minimum lot-size requirements, accelerating environmental reviews, and funding infrastructure for new developments.

In Massachusetts, one measure seeks to allow single-family homes to be built on smaller lots of 5,000 square feet or more in specific residential areas, provided they meet certain frontage and utility access requirements. Currently, many local zoning policies in the state require significantly larger lot sizes.