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EDITORIAL
Op-Ed; Petulant Menino stunts new housing
THOMAS M. KEANE JR.

12/06/2002
Boston Herald
All Editions
031
(Copyright 2002)

In the wake of their vote against rent control, a small group of councilors is trying to fashion a new set of proposals that would address Boston's housing crunch. Yet, the poisonous atmosphere following the vote - with Mayor Thomas Menino virtually accusing dissenting councilors of corruption - makes progress hard.

Dorchester Councilor Maureen Feeney, chair of the council's committee on intergovernmental relations, deserves the lion's share of credit for defeating the mayor's proposal.

A state referendum abolished rent control in 1994; back then Feeney had worried about what would happen when it ended. But in subsequent years, she witnessed something remarkable. Dorchester, a sprawling residential neighborhood, had once been a place filled with dilapidated housing. After rent control was abolished, property owners began to reinvest. The community transformed, changing markedly for the better.

Her fear: Bring back rent control and Dorchester would begin to slide backward. That observation led to her unyielding opposition to any new controls. As the mayor's plan floated though the council, other councilors sought to compromise, hoping to pass some diluted version. Feeney stood firm. "I don't believe in this country we should have any form of rent control," she said.

Yet opposing rent control is not the same as saying there is no housing problem. Councilors such as Feeney hear almost every day from constituents who are increasingly unable to afford their homes. The average price of rental properties in Boston has climbed dramatically, from monthly rents of $744 in 1995 to $1,035 in 2000, according to the city. And the reason for that increase is clear: Demand for housing has been increasing.

The solution is just as clear: Increase supply. If housing were some normal good - like, say, bread - that would happen easily and automatically. Farmers, bakers and distributors could react rapidly, growing more grain, baking more bread and putting more on the shelves.

That is harder to do with housing. Under the best of circumstances, the lead time for new housing is several years. A developer has to acquire land, design a building, obtain financing and complete construction. But the wide variety of governmental approvals and controls over construction, particularly zoning restrictions and building codes, slow this process down dramatically. In the case of larger developments, the city has additional layers of review. In many cases, new developments are simply stopped altogether. In others, the permitting can be so arduous and expensive that only the best-financed developers can afford to endure it. Others simply give up.

All of this is well known and the city has talked for years about making new efforts to increase housing production. So far, it's just been talk. Now some councilors hope to change that.

A small group, including Feeney as well as Hyde Park's Robert Consalvo and the North End's Paul Scapicchio, is in the process of developing a plan that would impose strict limits on approval processes for residential housing. The new regulations, perhaps in place for only a short time while the crisis is still most acute, would fast-track developments, providing developers with firm answers in months rather than years. Working with other councilors, developers and outside advocates, the councilors hope shortly to be able to introduce something to the floor of the council.

Yet, for the councilors' proposal - or any proposal - to fly, the administration has to get involved. That is especially the case since a fast-track process will likely require structural changes to city government, changes that require approval from the state and assent from the mayor.

In the wake of their vote, councilors have been bending over backward to praise Menino, stressing that their vote against rent control should not be interpreted as a rebuke of the mayor.

The administration has not been so kind. The mayor has berated dissenting councilors both privately and in public. His staff - Amy Dwyer, "Junior" Lombardi and Howard Liebowitz - gives councilors a cold shoulder, refusing to speak to them. And Menino's words after the vote - "They must be living in another world," "I question their motives," "The special interest groups got a special vote" - have been harsh and intemperate.

If the mayor's rent control proposal had any positive effect, it was to focus new attention on the affordable housing crisis. It has galvanized not only politicians and tenant activists but also developers and other members of Boston's business community.

There is a chance here, perhaps for only a short while, to accomplish something meaningful. As the Boston Municipal Research Bureau notes, the mayor "should seize the opportunity to mobilize a coalition that brings key players together to reach consensus." Menino needs to get over his pique, find some new staffers who can intelligently address the subject and meet the council halfway.

Talk back to Tom Keane at tomkeane@tomkeane.com.