Should more of Boston's CPA money go to housing? Council hearing starts the debate

Every Boston property tax bill carries a small surcharge for the Community Preservation Act. A City Council committee met Oct. 20 to discuss whether more of that money should go to affordable housing.

The question touches parks, historic buildings and housing in every neighborhood. Boston voters adopted the act in 2016, WBUR reported. The city says it is paid for in part by a 1% surcharge on residential and business property tax bills, with the first $100,000 of a property's value exempt, and that the money supports affordable housing, historic preservation, open space and recreation.

The hearing order says state law requires at least 10% of the money to go to housing, and that Boston's Community Preservation Plan sets a goal of 50%. It notes that Cambridge puts the maximum allowed into housing, and that federal pandemic relief money for housing runs out at the end of 2026.

What our records show

Docket 1601 was filed Aug. 24 by City Councilor Brian Worrell (District 4). The council's record lists 10 sponsors and co-sponsors. When it was read Aug. 26, the chair first sent it to the Housing and Community Development Committee. City Councilor Enrique Pepén (District 5) challenged that, and after a recess the chair sent it to the Community Preservation Act Committee, which Pepén chairs. The hearing came eight weeks later (meeting page). On Oct. 21 the docket stayed in committee.

The council last voted on the fund Sept. 23, when it unanimously reserved $47.3 million for fiscal 2027 for future projects (docket 1771). That total includes $39.6 million in new revenue and $7.7 million left over from earlier projects.

What was said

Pepén reported to the full council that the committee heard from the director of the Community Preservation office, who acknowledged the need for affordable housing but stressed the value of open space and preservation projects (watch at 54:23). He said advocates testified that financing affordable housing, especially homes for sale, has been very hard, and that the discussion should not become a tug of war among housing, parks and preservation. A council meeting preview from Boston Policy Notes reported that the director said she knew of no proposal to raise the surcharge.

Worrell said residents of his district tell him they can no longer afford Boston (55:23). He said the last funding round did not directly pay to build any new affordable homes for sale. He laid out how the money is split now: 50% to housing, 20% to parks, 20% to historic preservation and 10% flexible (57:10):

He also compared the situation with about $31 million in future property tax relief he said the board of the city's planning and development agency recently approved for largely market-rate projects.

What's next

The order is a hearing order, so it does not change the split by itself. Any change in how the money is targeted would go through the Community Preservation Committee's plan and later council votes on spending. Watch the Community Preservation Act Committee page for working sessions.