Supporters of the creation of the Martha’s Vineyard housing bank bill have until 5 pm on Friday, July 28, to provide written testimony to the Joint Committee on Revenue. The Joint Committee on Revenue will begin accepting written testimonies starting on Tuesday, July 25. The committee has also planned a hearing on both the house […]
State lawmakers, in collaboration with the Local Option for Housing Affordability (LOHA) Coalition and regional housing advocates, will be heading to the Massachusetts State House next week to show support for a bill that would allow municipalities to impose a fee on high value real estate transactions in order to support affordable housing. Local collections […]
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Islanders rang out a message to state legislators on Thursday: legislation to create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank must advance to secure the community’s future. Activists from both Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket joined together for the “Martha Goes to Beacon Hill” event, organized by the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, to push […]
Three hundred people from Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket traveled to Beacon Hill yesterday with a mission: save island communities from what they say is a death spiral of rising home prices and short-term rentals gobbling up year-round housing.
They called on legislators to pass a local-option fee of 2% on transfers of high-value real estate. The first $1 million of value would be exempt, and the money would support affordable housing.
Traveling in five tour buses, they pulled up in front of the State House for a day of meetings with legislators and staff, followed by a rally on the capitol steps.
Arielle Faria, co-chair of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, led the rally.
“We have seen firsthand the devastating effects of unaffordable housing, with families being forced to leave their homes and communities due to skyrocketing rents and home prices,” she said. “But we did not let this challenge defeat us.”