On Thursday, March 5, members of the Tenant Association at 840-846 Mass. Ave. gathered at the First Parish Unitarian Church, and were joined by the Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA), the Housing Justice alliance, elected officials and Arlington community members.
The group was celebrating the HCA acquisition of the three buildings along Mass. Avenue and Newman Way – which happened back in the fall of 2025 – which converted the property into affordable housing and saved the tenants from substantial rent increases.
This celebration is yet another recent achievement from the HCA as it works to make Arlington a more affordable town to live in. However, there is still much work to be done.
Arlington is one of 17 municipalities part of the The Metro Mayors Coalition (MMC), which was established in 2018 with a goal of producing 185,000 net new housing units by 2030 to combat the housing crisis in Metro Boston. According to an annual report from The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) on the MMC’s progress, building permit data for 2024 showed the lowest levels of permitting activity in almost ten years. The report was released this March.
According to the MAPC’s data, only 4,755 net new housing units were permitted in 2024, short of the 12,333 units per year on average the municipalities of MMC need to reach their 2030 goal.
The report reveals permitting has declined by almost 60 percent since it hit its peak in 2022 at 11,658 units.
“We must apply everything we can to increase the number of housing units in the Greater Boston region and achieve the housing production goal we set out for 2030,” said Lizzi Weyant, executive director of MAPC.
“While there are challenges to creating more housing, especially right now with higher interest rates and construction costs, we have seen progress at the local level as municipalities update their zoning, alongside important state actions like the Affordable Homes Act, the MBTA Communities Act, and new state laws allowing for [Accessory Dwelling Units] by right.”
The annual stated significant economic headwinds, impacting markets nationwide, are making it difficult for the municipalities to produce those 12,333 units annually.
Interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage peaked in 2023 at 7.8 percent, while construction costs increased by 43.5 percent from their pre-pandemic numbers, according to the MAPC website.
“Many municipalities are prioritizing affordability and the production of affordable homes, which will help ensure that we’re supporting families and residents across our region,” said Weyant.
“While this data shows slow progress, if municipalities focus on solutions they can achieve while the state continues to provide more resources, we can get back on track and build the housing we need to remain economically competitive, support existing residents, and plan for the future.”
According to a recent press release from the MMC, the municipalities are calling on the Legislature to pass existing bills that promote housing production; including bills allocating state funding to replace lost federal dollars intended to spur housing production when the market is unwilling, and to enable more tools for raising local revenue, such as transfer fees and local option taxes.
The updated data and additional information on the MMC task force is available here.
This news item, published on March 10, 2026, was prepared using information provided to YourArlington.
