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Mass. bill would double real estate fee to fund clean energy, affordable housing – Energy News Network

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Environmental and housing advocates are joining forces in Massachusetts to push a bill expected to generate $300 million per year to fund investments in clean energy, energy efficiency, climate adaptation, and affordable housing. 

The legislation would double the deeds excise fee paid on real estate transactions, which hasn’t been increased in more than 30 years. The added revenue would be split evenly between programs to slow and respond to climate change and those to improve access to affordable housing — two urgent needs that are intimately connected, advocates said.

For at least a decade, housing prices in Massachusetts have climbed steadily, while supply languishes. Today, it can be extremely challenging for low- and middle-income earners to find reasonably priced housing — or any housing at all. At the same time, the impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly apparent as increased flooding and extreme heat take their toll on vulnerable communities. 

“We face a housing crisis and a climate crisis, each of which is getting worse, not better, over time. Moreover, the two are completely intertwined,” said Joe Kriesberg, president of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations, one of more than 40 nonprofits and civic groups that have formed the Housing and Environment Revenue Opportunities (HERO) coalition to support the proposal. 

By addressing the two problems together, the deeds excise bill could amplify efforts being made in each sector, supporters said. 

Buildings are responsible for more than 40% of the greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts, so any money spent to develop new, more energy-efficient affordable housing, perhaps paired with solar panels, will benefit both tenants and the state’s efforts to go carbon-neutral by 2050, supporters contend. At the same time, they say, neighborhoods with a high need for affordable housing are also generally the most vulnerable to climate change effects like flooding and increased respiratory problems, so money invested in adapting to these impacts would make these communities healthier and safer. 

“I can’t think of an intersection of policy that is more important to the health of communities,” said Leslie Reid, chief executive of the Madison Park Development Corp., a member of the HERO coalition.

Reid, whose work focuses on the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston — most of which is classified as an environmental justice community — envisions the additional funding being used for a range of projects in her community. Maintaining mature tree canopy and installing green roofs could help mitigate the heat island effect, which is associated with respiratory illness and increased rates of heat-related death. Building new affordable housing to highly energy-efficient Passive House standards and retrofitting existing properties could lower fossil fuel use and utility bills, while creating healthier living conditions. 

In Lawrence, a former factory town in the northern part of the state, Heather McCann of community nonprofit Groundwork Lawrence would like to see an influx of revenue that could help accelerate work on a bicycle and pedestrian trail connecting different parts of the city. This network could help people from all neighborhoods access services, recreation, and jobs without using a car or walking hot, exhaust-laced streets. 

“Having those connections, it gets you to parks, it gets you to the hospital, it gets you to the two big areas for employers,” McCann said. 

Supporters argue the bill is needed because, while the state has announced goals and strategies for going carbon-neutral and improving affordable housing, there needs to be more guaranteed funding if these efforts are to be successful. 

“I think there’s a real recognition that unless you have a dedicated revenue source, you can talk about affordable housing or climate change, but it’s not going to make much of a difference because the funding isn’t there,” said state Sen. James Eldridge, who introduced the bill in the Senate.

The Massachusetts deeds excise tax is paid upon the sale of a property, currently at a rate of $2.28 per $500 of value. A house sold for $500,000, about the median price for a single-family home in the state, incurs a fee of $2,280. 

Most states have similar fees, though they go by a variety of names. The Massachusetts rate hasn’t changed since 1989, and is lower than the rate in the other New England states, with the exception of Maine.

Two years ago, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker proposed increasing the tax by 50% to raise money for efforts to protect communities from the rigors of climate change. At that time, housing advocates first proposed instead doubling the fee and splitting the proceeds between housing and climate needs. Baker’s proposal did not make it through the Legislature, but the idea of increasing the tax had taken hold. 

Some in the real estate sector object to the bill, arguing that a larger transaction fee would only worsen the state’s affordable housing problems.

“It would increase the cost of housing by imposing a sales tax on homes,” said Justin Davidson, director of government affairs at the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. “Taxing homes raises rents and barriers to homeownership, further exacerbating the longstanding housing affordability crisis in Massachusetts.”

Supporters of the bill disagree with this analysis. The added cost would be too low to deter a buyer already planning such a major purchase, they say. 

“This bill is a very modest bill, but it will create critical income for the state that goes to housing and climate,” said Karen Chen, executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association, a member of the HERO coalition. 

The bill has been introduced in both the Senate and House, and 50 co-sponsors have signed on so far, a number Eldridge considers a satisfying start. Action on the legislation is unlikely this summer, he said, as pandemic recovery measures still dominate discussions. But he is encouraged to see so many disparate advocates uniting behind the cause.

“It’s been great to see the coalition of housing activists and climate advocates,” Eldridge said. “It makes it more likely that it will pass.”

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Here are some facts about British Columbia’s housing market

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Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.

Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.

Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500

Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438

Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103

Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839

Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359

Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent

How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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B.C. voters face atmospheric river with heavy rain, high winds on election day

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VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.

Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.

The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.

Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.

More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.

Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.

An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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No shortage when it comes to B.C. housing policies, as Eby, Rustad offer clear choice

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British Columbia voters face no shortage of policies when it comes to tackling the province’s housing woes in the run-up to Saturday’s election, with a clear choice for the next government’s approach.

David Eby’s New Democrats say the housing market on its own will not deliver the homes people need, while B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad saysgovernment is part of the problem and B.C. needs to “unleash” the potential of the private sector.

But Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, said the “punchline” was that neither would have a hand in regulating interest rates, the “giant X-factor” in housing affordability.

“The one policy that controls it all just happens to be a policy that the province, whoever wins, has absolutely no control over,” said Yan, who made a name for himself scrutinizing B.C.’s chronic affordability problems.

Some metrics have shown those problems easing, with Eby pointing to what he said was a seven per cent drop in rent prices in Vancouver.

But Statistics Canada says 2021 census data shows that 25.5 per cent of B.C. households were paying at least 30 per cent of their income on shelter costs, the worst for any province or territory.

Yan said government had “access to a few levers” aimed at boosting housing affordability, and Eby has been pulling several.

Yet a host of other factors are at play, rates in particular, Yan said.

“This is what makes housing so frustrating, right? It takes time. It takes decades through which solutions and policies play out,” Yan said.

Rustad, meanwhile, is running on a “deregulation” platform.

He has pledged to scrap key NDP housing initiatives, including the speculation and vacancy tax, restrictions on short-term rentals,and legislation aimed at boosting small-scale density in single-family neighbourhoods.

Green Leader Sonia Furstenau, meanwhile, says “commodification” of housing by large investors is a major factor driving up costs, and her party would prioritize people most vulnerable in the housing market.

Yan said it was too soon to fully assess the impact of the NDP government’s housing measures, but there was a risk housing challenges could get worse if certain safeguards were removed, such as policies that preserve existing rental homes.

If interest rates were to drop, spurring a surge of redevelopment, Yan said the new homes with higher rents could wipe the older, cheaper units off the map.

“There is this element of change and redevelopment that needs to occur as a city grows, yet the loss of that stock is part of really, the ongoing challenges,” Yan said.

Given the external forces buffeting the housing market, Yan said the question before voters this month was more about “narrative” than numbers.

“Who do you believe will deliver a better tomorrow?”

Yan said the market has limits, and governments play an important role in providing safeguards for those most vulnerable.

The market “won’t by itself deal with their housing needs,” Yan said, especially given what he described as B.C.’s “30-year deficit of non-market housing.”

IS HOUSING THE ‘GOVERNMENT’S JOB’?

Craig Jones, associate director of the Housing Research Collaborative at the University of British Columbia, echoed Yan, saying people are in “housing distress” and in urgent need of help in the form of social or non-market housing.

“The amount of housing that it’s going to take through straight-up supply to arrive at affordability, it’s more than the system can actually produce,” he said.

Among the three leaders, Yan said it was Furstenau who had focused on the role of the “financialization” of housing, or large investors using housing for profit.

“It really squeezes renters,” he said of the trend. “It captures those units that would ordinarily become affordable and moves (them) into an investment product.”

The Greens’ platform includes a pledge to advocate for federal legislation banning the sale of residential units toreal estate investment trusts, known as REITs.

The party has also proposed a two per cent tax on homes valued at $3 million or higher, while committing $1.5 billion to build 26,000 non-market units each year.

Eby’s NDP government has enacted a suite of policies aimed at speeding up the development and availability of middle-income housing and affordable rentals.

They include the Rental Protection Fund, which Jones described as a “cutting-edge” policy. The $500-million fund enables non-profit organizations to purchase and manage existing rental buildings with the goal of preserving their affordability.

Another flagship NDP housing initiative, dubbed BC Builds, uses $2 billion in government financingto offer low-interest loans for the development of rental buildings on low-cost, underutilized land. Under the program, operators must offer at least 20 per cent of their units at 20 per cent below the market value.

Ravi Kahlon, the NDP candidate for Delta North who serves as Eby’s housing minister,said BC Builds was designed to navigate “huge headwinds” in housing development, including high interest rates, global inflation and the cost of land.

Boosting supply is one piece of the larger housing puzzle, Kahlon said in an interview before the start of the election campaign.

“We also need governments to invest and … come up with innovative programs to be able to get more affordability than the market can deliver,” he said.

The NDP is also pledging to help more middle-class, first-time buyers into the housing market with a plan to finance 40 per cent of the price on certain projects, with the money repayable as a loan and carrying an interest rate of 1.5 per cent. The government’s contribution would have to be repaid upon resale, plus 40 per cent of any increase in value.

The Canadian Press reached out several times requesting a housing-focused interview with Rustad or another Conservative representative, but received no followup.

At a press conference officially launching the Conservatives’ campaign, Rustad said Eby “seems to think that (housing) is government’s job.”

A key element of the Conservatives’ housing plans is a provincial tax exemption dubbed the “Rustad Rebate.” It would start in 2026 with residents able to deduct up to $1,500 per month for rent and mortgage costs, increasing to $3,000 in 2029.

Rustad also wants Ottawa to reintroduce a 1970s federal program that offered tax incentives to spur multi-unit residential building construction.

“It’s critical to bring that back and get the rental stock that we need built,” Rustad said of the so-called MURB program during the recent televised leaders’ debate.

Rustad also wants to axe B.C.’s speculation and vacancy tax, which Eby says has added 20,000 units to the long-term rental market, and repeal rules restricting short-term rentals on platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo to an operator’s principal residence or one secondary suite.

“(First) of all it was foreigners, and then it was speculators, and then it was vacant properties, and then it was Airbnbs, instead of pointing at the real problem, which is government, and government is getting in the way,” Rustad said during the televised leaders’ debate.

Rustad has also promised to speed up approvals for rezoning and development applications, and to step in if a city fails to meet the six-month target.

Eby’s approach to clearing zoning and regulatory hurdles includes legislation passed last fall that requires municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to allow small-scale, multi-unit housing on lots previously zoned for single family homes.

The New Democrats have also recently announced a series of free, standardized building designs and a plan to fast-track prefabricated homes in the province.

A statement from B.C.’s Housing Ministry said more than 90 per cent of 188 local governments had adopted the New Democrats’ small-scale, multi-unit housing legislation as of last month, while 21 had received extensions allowing more time.

Rustad has pledged to repeal that law too, describing Eby’s approach as “authoritarian.”

The Greens are meanwhile pledging to spend $650 million in annual infrastructure funding for communities, increase subsidies for elderly renters, and bring in vacancy control measures to prevent landlords from drastically raising rents for new tenants.

Yan likened the Oct. 19 election to a “referendum about the course that David Eby has set” for housing, with Rustad “offering a completely different direction.”

Regardless of which party and leader emerges victorious, Yan said B.C.’s next government will be working against the clock, as well as cost pressures.

Yan said failing to deliver affordable homes for everyone, particularly people living on B.C. streets and young, working families, came at a cost to the whole province.

“It diminishes us as a society, but then also as an economy.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.

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