If it feels harder than ever to buy a home in Massachusetts, you’re not imagining it.

But supporters of a new ballot proposal say it could help ease the state’s housing shortage and make homeownership more attainable.

It would change the way neighborhoods are built by allowing single-family homes on much smaller lots than currently permitted in many communities.

What the Legalize Starter Homes proposal would do

The group Legalize Starter Homes is pushing to get a question on the Massachusetts ballot that would expand where smaller homes can be built.

Under the proposal, a single-family home could be constructed on a lot if it meets a few basic requirements:

• At least 5,000 square feet of land
• 50 feet of frontage on a street
• Access to water and sewer infrastructure

That’s significantly smaller than what many towns currently require.

“It’s uncommon to have lot size requirements in the suburbs that are lower than 10,000 square feet,” said Andrew Mikula, chair of the Legalize Starter Homes Ballot Committee. “In a lot of places, it’s half an acre or more.”

Why supporters say smaller lots could help affordability

Advocates argue that relaxing lot size rules could make it easier to build more homes — especially entry-level housing.

Right now, the income needed to afford a typical starter home in the Boston area is out of reach for many buyers.

“The minimum income you need to buy an entry-level home, according to Boston Indicators, in the region is $162,000 a year,” Mikula said.

By allowing homes on smaller lots, supporters say construction costs could come down, opening the door for more buyers.

What this could look like in neighborhoods

The changes could have a noticeable impact in residential areas across Massachusetts.

Imagine a backyard, or even a space roughly the size of a basketball court, becoming the site of a new home.

For some homeowners, that idea is already appealing.

“My husband has mobility issues, and if we could build in our backyard, that would be amazing,” said Newton homeowner Beth Sagan. “We love the neighborhood. We don’t want to move.”

Local control would still remain

Even if the proposal passes, cities and towns wouldn’t lose all say over development.

Communities could still set rules around:

• Building height
• Parking requirements
• Spacing between homes

Supporters say the measure is designed to add flexibility, not override local planning entirely.

Part of a larger housing debate in Massachusetts

Housing experts say this proposal is just one piece of a much larger puzzle.

“Our housing systems are broken, not just individual policies,” said Jonathan Berk, board chair of Abundant Housing Massachusetts. “There is no one silver bullet solution to our housing crisis.”

The push comes as other housing options, like accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, are becoming more popular statewide.

Meanwhile, the Healey administration has set a goal of building 222,000 new homes between 2025 and 2035.

Supporters of the ballot initiative believe their plan could help meet that demand.

“We anticipate that this could do up to 20% of that goal,” Mikula said.

What happens next

The proposal is still working its way toward the ballot.

A decision on whether it qualifies could come as soon as early July 2026.

If it does make it on the ballot, Massachusetts voters will ultimately decide whether smaller lots — and more flexible housing options — should become the norm across the state.

First responders were at Ames Pond in Stoughton, Massachusetts, on Thursday, searching for a kayaker who’d been reported in distress.

Drivers were asked to avoid the area amid the search, which closed Highland Street between West and Canton streets.

The Kingston Fire & Emergency Management and first responders from other neighboring towns said they were helping in various ways.

More details about what happened weren’t immediately available.

Garlic mustard might look like an innocent wildflower, but conservationists say it’s one of the most invasive plants in Massachusetts.

Despite its serrated leaves, delicate white flower and unmistakable scent, garlic mustard is on the state’s Prohibited Plant List. 

“It’s like wildfire,” said Lisey Good, founder of Wild Cohasset, a nonprofit dedicated to restoring native habitats and removing invasive species. “I hate garlic mustard so much.”

The biennial plant, originally brought to New England by European settlers hundreds of years ago as a food source and herbal remedy, has since become a major ecological threat. While some people still use garlic mustard in salads, soups, and pesto, the plant can quickly overwhelm forests and crowd out native species. Good said each stem has “tons of seeds in there.” 

“This plant might have 7,000 seeds,” she told WBZ-TV. “Next year this plant will die, but all around it will be 7,000 new baby garlic mustards.”

That’s why Good founded Wild Cohasset in 2015. As garlic mustard spreads, it pushes out native plants that local wildlife, like ruby-throated hummingbirds and butterflies, depend on for survival.

“They’re putting out a kind of chemical warfare,” she said. “It’s a poison that’s similar to cyanide, but it’s not harmful to humans. It’s just a mild amount. But it’s enough to change the soil chemistry so that nothing else can grow around it.”

Recently, Cohasset High School seniors helped Good remove the plant from Wheelwright Park.

“I play at the baseball fields, I’ve been around here awhile, so I just want to make sure it’s going to be here, be healthy for the next generation,” said senior Ronan Carnes.

“We should stop it while it’s just one weed, rather than like 7,000,” added fellow senior Emma Lee.

Timing is critical when it comes to garlic mustard removal. Experts recommend pulling the plant as early in the spring as possible, once the ground has thawed. May is often the easiest time to identify garlic mustard because its distinctive white flowers are in bloom.

The goal is to remove the plants before they set seed. After about June 20, conservationists say the risk increases dramatically. The seeds can spill from the stems during removal and spread to new areas.

Garlic mustard often spreads when people remove it from their yards and place it in compost piles. Seeds end up at municipal compost sites, transfer stations, or in community mulch piles, where they’re unknowingly redistributed and introduced to new areas.

Instead, experts recommend bagging the plants and throwing them in the trash.

For Good, the work is about more than removing a weed. It’s about helping people understand the connection between plants, wildlife, and healthy ecosystems.

“It’s so gratifying to see that people learn what to do,” she said. “People are planting more native plants in their yards for wildlife, and I think people have really started to understand the connection between plants and the creatures that live with us.”

There may also be a natural solution on the horizon.

Good points to a native wildflower called golden ragwort, which pollinators love, and researchers have found can successfully compete with garlic mustard. She recommends planting it in areas where garlic mustard has taken hold.

“It’s something people can do that tangibly helps birds and butterflies and bees and whole forests,” she said.

More information on removing garlic mustard can be found here.