Massachusetts
Massachusetts real estate transactions for Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties Feb. 18, 2024 edition
Agawam
Bretta Construction LLC, to Benjamin Reynolds, 12 Damato Way, $690,000.
Doreen J. Merola to William D. Corbin and Susan L. Corbin, 170 Mallard Circle, $300,000.
Plata O Plomo Inc., to Michael Edward Trippodo, 44 Colonial Ave., $315,000.
Sani Realty LLC, to 444 Shoemaker MA LLC, 444 Shoemaker Lane, $1,450,000.
Tree House S LLC, to XPB LLC, Main Street, $145,000.
Amherst
Joseph Kennedy to APN Properties LLC, 95 East Pleasant St., and 95 E. Pleasant St., $100.
Alfred J. Albano Jr., commissioner, Elisabeth Howard and Catherine Nicholas to Historic Renovations & Rental Properties LTD., 68 McClellan St., $335,000.
Stanley L. Warner and Signia R. Warner to Philip B. Torrey and Nancy G. Torrey, 31 Middle St., $600,000.
Jeffrey P. Roth-Howe, trustee, and Jeffrey P. Roth-Howe Revocable Trust to Evan Paul Roth-Howe and Maria Alejandra Alcaraz Sainz, 74 Overlook Drive, $300,000.
Pelham Road Partners LLC, to Yeon Soon Kim, 370 Pelham Road, $415,000.
Belchertown
Fay M. Flanary to Daniel E. Chase and Tracy Marton, 27 Lloyd Ave., $349,000.
Vera M. Sherman, trustee, Vera M. Sherman Revocable Trust and John Sherman to Colin MacNeil, Ruth MacNeil and Ruth Stiles MacNeil, 161 Federal St., $400,000.
Joseph A.L. Marino and Laurie E. Lentz-Marino to Joshua J. Alway, 94 Canal Drive, $450,000.
Robert H. Adair to DPR Legacy Enterprises LLC, 15 Main St., $320,000.
Gwendolyn Daguiar to Gwendolyn R. Daguiar, trustee, Grimm Addams Supplemental Needs Trust and Grace Linda Ann Daguiar Supplemental Needs Trust, 340 Amherst Road, $100.
Brimfield
Scott C. Aikey and Debra A. Aikey to Ja Property Group LLC, 1494 Dunhamtown-Brimfield Road, $320,000.
Chicopee
Alan Wishart Jr., representative, and Alan P. Wishart, estate, to Anna Marquez and Dennis Sanders, 48 Cambridge St., $233,000.
Slosek Real Estate Holdings LLC, to Privilne Real Estate LLC, 799 Front St., $159,300.
Carlos Pacheco Rubert to Naisha Hernandez, 553 Chicopee St., $269,000.
Dean J. Delamarter and Shirley Ann Delamarter to Ahmed Aljanabi, 19 Dresser Ave., $185,000.
DGL Properties LLC, to Torrey Santini and Maegan Santini, 34 Bromont St., $430,000.
Janet D. Derderian to Angel Matos Rodriguez, 343 Chicopee St., Unit 12, $165,000.
John R. Winters, Kelly A. Saltmarsh and Kathleen C. Winters to Karen Lynn Leblanc and John Ferrell, 56 Fredette St., Unit I-9, $176,000.
Lisa M. Fournier to Chapeaurouge Investments LLC, 46 Harvard St., $300,000.
Michael J. Molinari, Anne K. Molinari, Paul V. Boutot and Donna M. Boutot to Donna M. Boutot and Paul V. Boutot, 33 Belcher St., $50,000.
Nolava LLC, to Nicholas D. Franck, 35 Moore St., $370,000.
Robert S. Talbot, representative, and Glen Blanchard, estate, to Arthur Benoit III, 110 Haven Ave., $245,000.
Colrain
Darlene M. King, trustee of the Walker Investment Trust, to Paul Gulla, 100 Main Road, “aka” Route 112, $30,000.
Cummington
Lyle Hazel and Lyle M. Hazel to Lyle Hazel, trustee, Janeen Romie, trustee, and Lyle Hazel Family Revocable Trust, 47 Main St., $100.
East Longmeadow
Lachenauer LLC, to Toni Brandofino, 382 Porter Road, $345,000.
Mark C. Czupryna and Denise D. Czupryna to Christian T. Dancy and Chelsea L. Dancy, 236 Parker St., $380,000.
Samantha F. Taha and Morgan L. Sibley to Richard W. Santasiere II, 30 Bayne St., $220,000.
William A. Brown and David P. Brown to Elizabeth Vilkhovoy and David Vilkhovoy, 61 Devonshire Terrace, $169,000.
Easthampton
Krupalu LLC, to Michelle A. Gould, 78 Pleasant St., $530,000.
Alexander W. Kwolek and Betty-Ann Kwolek to Lisa A. Darragh, 4 East Green St., $335,000.
Walter L. Hawrylow to Christopher L. Hawrylow, 4 Division Street W., $100.
Michaela A. Tally to Anne Canfield, 30 Pine St., $282,000.
Erich L. Janes, Marilyn G. Janes and Erika J. Saracino, attorney-in-fact, to Erich L. Janes, 4 Gross Lane, $100.
Erving
Lynda Richardson and Michael J. Richardson to Kenneth Allen Rounds, 5 North St., $247,000.
Granby
Linda A. Kapinos to Mack M. Son and Bopha T. Son, 140 Pleasant St., $350,000.
Greenfield
Carter J. Robertson and Justina Smith to Justina Smith, 167 Wells St., $45,000.
Matthew Buttolph Jackson, trustee of the Katherine Buttolph Revocable Trust, to Michael J. Marotto and Sarah Marotto, 100 Silver S., $385,000.
Damon Blake to Mark Wightman, 200 Wisdom Way, $170,000.
Charles Frieders, personal representative of the Estate of Ronald Bosch, “aka” Ronald V. Bosch, “aka” Ronald Vander Bosch, and Charles Frieders and Joyce Bosch Frieders, trustees of the Ronald V. Bosch Revocable Trust, to Spencer Telega, 41 Norwood St., $286,500.
Wicked Deals LLC, to Congamond Management LLC, 231 Hope St., Lot 2, $40,000.
Wicked Deals LLC, to Congamond Management LLC, 231 Hope St., Lot 1, $120,000.
Wicked Deals LLC, to Congamond Management LLC, 231 Hope St., Lot 3, $40,000.
Hampden
Bedrock Financial LLC, trustee, and Cumberland Blues Realty Trust, trustee of, to Leslie P. Addicks and Thomas P. Addicks, 149 Chapin Road, $743,000.
Hatfield
Susan E. Lynes, Susan E. Lynes, trustee, Susan E. Bartlett, trustee, and Susan E. Bartlett Lynes Trust to Maxwell C. Bartlett, 323 West St., $300,000.
Holyoke
Alfred Estabrook to Brittany Wajda and David Wajda, 24 Bayberry Drive, $325,000.
Alycar Investments LLC, to Jennit Rojas Diaz and Ronald L. Cruz Fuentes, 44-46 Gilman St., $361,000.
Brittany L. Petersen to Kenneth A. Lauzier, Kenneth Lauzier, Julia M. Lauzier and Julia Lauzier, 133 North Pleasant St., $420,000.
David F. Nitkiewicz and Hideliza Nitkiewicz to Luz Diaz-Feliciano, 1470 Northampton St., $335,000.
David Schirch, Kimberly Frisino, Nicole Frisino and Francis E. Frisino, estate, to Abimael Claudio, 538 Hampden St., $89,000.
Deepon Realty LLC, to April L. Rivera, 60 Beech St., $206,000.
Jeannette R. Rivard, Ruth Rivard and Jeannette R. Nadeau to Stephanie Szklarz and Angela Marie Figueroa, 37 Franks Drive, $240,000.
Limited Partnership Pearson-Valley Development Co., and Norman Fine to Remote Opportunities LLC, 4 North Bridge St., $1,280,400.
Northern Flooring & Remodeling LLC, to Adrian Cruz, 36-38 Gates St., $435,000.
Peloquin Real Estate One LLC, to TKJM LLC, 286-288 Pine St., $1,950,000.
Stephen C. Konstantinidis, Ellen L. Konstantinidis and Ellen L. Little to Mohammad A. Dib, 88 Lynch Drive, $280,000.
Peloquin Real Estate Two LLC, to PCJM LLC, 38 Clinton Ave., 56 Clinton Ave., 77-79 Elm St., 244 Walnut St., 223 Suffolk St., 101 Pine St., and 184-186 Lyman St., $1,850,000.
Huntington
Ramanjanappa Ravikumar and Subasri Dorairaj to Rt 20 LLC, Russell Road, $350,000.
Leverett
Barbara J. Raymond to Frederic P. Hartwell and Marie Hartwell-Walker, 295 Shutesbury Road, $118,000.
Longmeadow
Trevor H. Agnitti and Angelica Agnitti to Donald R. Muller and Kylie Elizabeth Muller, 192 Converse St., $372,000.
Ludlow
Angela S. Berkeley and Angela S. Nurek to Jessica Lynn Walsh, 31 Cady St., $289,000.
Joanne M. Bell, representative, Robert C. Blais, representative, Robert Armand Blais, estate, and Robert A. Blais, estate, to Richard Rustic, trustee, and Rustic Family Trust, trustee of, 200 Poole St., $250,000.
Jose T. Martins and Susan Dias Martins to Steven A. Crespo, Cislak Drive, Lot 38, $221,000.
Tracey A. Ware and Thomas Ware to David Nitkiewicz, 57 Grimard St., $285,000.
Montague
113 Avenue A LLC, to Avenue A Group LLC, 113-115 Avenue A, $600,000.
U.S. Bank NA, trustee of MEB Loan Trust IV, to Jason Michael Secord, 13 Franklin St., $70,000.
Ann Engley and April Engley to EDS Enterprises LLC, 7 Avenue C, $189,900.
AGT Homes LLC, to Diana L. Tobin and Robert J. Tobin, 257 Wendell Road, $540,000.
New Salem
Kathleen P. Starkey to Adam B. Brougham and Marcy A. Brougham, West Street, $80,000.
Northampton
Robert P. Abuza, trustee, Rebecca R. Abuza, trustee, Katharine J. Waggoner, trustee, and Mardi J. Abuza Living Trust to Robert P. Abuza, trustee, Rebecca R. Abuza, trustee, Katharine J. Waggoner, trustee, Mardi J. Abuza Family Trust and Mardi J. Abuza Marital Trust, 226 Chestnut St., $100.
Lisa Chodos to Lisa Chodos and Leigh Chodos, 63 Sheffield Lane, $100.
Hans D. Michaud to JJK Investments LLC, 16 Fairfield Ave., $500,000.
Theodore W. Schultz to Melissa Islam and Ashequl Islam, 80 Damon Road, $175,000.
John Nicolaou to Richard H. Watling, Riverbank Road, $75,000.
Edward R. Decker, Delores Belmore, personal representative, and Marylou Decker, estate, to Elaine N. Fitzgerald, 9 Cross Path Road, $320,000.
Linda B. Putnam to Amy B. Dickinson, 24 Perkins Ave., $325,000.
Joseph D. Squires and Michelle l. Squires to Shawn S. Ryder and Shannon M. Shaw, 294 Bridge St., $400,000.
Karen Spindel to Rachel M. Prehodka-Spindel and Spindel Family Revocable Trust, 61 South St., $100.
Alice L. Sadlowski and Alice L. Sias to Tracy J. Lisewski, trustee, and 14 Acrebrook Drive Real Estate Trust, 14 Acrebrook Drive, $100.
Rebecca H. Olander, Rebecca F. Hart and Jonathan T. Olander to Rebecca H. Olander, trustee, Jonathan T. Olander, trustee, and Rebecca H. Olander Trust, 96 Chestnut St., $100.
Silvia Araneda Burwell, trustee, and Silvia Araneda Burwell Revocable Trust to Silvia Araneda Burwell, 35 New South St., $100.
Silvia Araneda Burwell to Maria Teresa Hart, trustee, and Burwell Irrevocable Trust, 35 New South St., $100.
Lindsay Rockwell to Lindsay Rockwell and Ami Ladd, 107 Vernon St., $100.
Northfield
Erin Jaworski, Julian Jaworski and Jane H. Lyle-Jaworski, individually and as personal representative of the Estate of Walter C. Jaworski, to Charles E. Fisher, Lyman Road, $45,000.
MW&MW Realty LLC, to Raquel L. Chlosta and Joshua Willis, 21 Meadow St., $370,000.
Orange
Mary Chaplin to Schwowens Properties LLC, 82 Mechanic St., $120,000.
Donna E. Estabrooks, Loretta A. Estabrooks, Philip R. Estabrooks and Diane L. Tilden to James B. Berry and Laura J. Berry, 63 Main St., $901,000.
Palmer
Abaigeal M. Duda to B & B Realty Partners LLC, 3205 Main St., $305,000.
Bryan Damas and Barbara Damas to Coby Piardi and Natalie St. George, 249 Ware St., $330,000.
Clayton J. Lizak, trustee, and John W. Lizak Revocable Indenture of Trust of, trustee of, to Andrew Shevchenko and Nikole Shevchenko, Old Warren Road, Lot 27-8, $100,000.
Lorraine D. Spelko, representative, and Frank W. Spelko, estate, to Jennifer W. Putney and John F. Putney II, 27 Country Lane, $675,000.
Plainfield
Amanda Grosmann Rieder, trustee, Daniel Grossman, trustee, Iris Bikel, trustee, and Richard Grossman Irrevocable Trust to Kivah P. Singh and Joshua C. Nordin, Lower Liberty Street, $52,500.
Rowe
Brian C. McKay and David J. McKay to Sheri A. Kelly and Katie E. McKay, 50 Pond Road, $50,000.
Russell
Ramanjanappa Ravikumar and Subasri Dorairaj to Rt 20 LLC, 0 Huntington Road, $350,000.
Shelburne
Deborah K. McCutchen, personal representative of the Estate of Leighton Mills McCutchen,Jr., and as trustee of the Martha J. McCutchen Credit Shelter Testamentary Trust, and as trustee of the Martha J. McCutchen Martial Testamentary Trust, “aka” the Martha J. McCutchen Marital Testamentary Trust, to Michel A. Clapham and Grace Anne Kennerly, 12 Main St., $450,000.
Shutesbury
Edward M. Suter and Marialis J. Suter, individually and as trustees of the Suter Family Revocable Trust, to Allen H. Pease Jr., and Lesley Pease, 94 Pratt Corner Road, $487,500.
South Hadley
Marcus Grothues to Kayla Langevin, 2 Maple St., $269,000.
Amy Jamrog and Kimberly Cook to Thomas J. Desrochers, 22 Ridge Road, $345,000.
Skinner Woods LLC, to Robert Salem and Marlene Salem, 3 Skinnerwoods Way, $559,900.
Kevin Haczynski to Choquette Capital Properties LLC, 266 North Main St., $415,000.
Southampton
Philip Corbeil to Charlene M. Lustenberger Corbeil, 18 Noreen Drive, $300,000.
Southwick
Dawn A. Turgeon, representative, and William K. Sanders, estate, to Eduard Tsikhotskiy and Maryna Tsikhotskiy, 11 Crescent Circle, $371,000.
Kim A. Prevost, representative, Kim Ann Prevost, representative, Patricia A. Prevost, estate, and Patricia Ann Prevost, estate, to Natalie A. Gaudino, 11 Fernwood Road, $222,000.
Randy S. Rindels and Lori Jean Rindels to Kevin P. Mahoney and Kathleen M. Mahoney, 13 Lauren Lane, $750,000.
V F Realty Co. LLC, to FMM Southwick LLC, 561 College Highway, $900,000.
Springfield
374 Allen Street LLC, to Sole Room LLC, 374-380 Allen St., $260,000.
Athime Continual Wealth LLC, to Welhington S. Dasilva, 49 Prospect St., $365,000.
Awilda Vazquez to James Paul Martin Jr., and Michelle Ruth Derosa, 5 Lavender Lane, $290,000.
Campagnari Construction LLC, to Anthony George Wallace, 64 Burghardt St., $235,000.
Cheryl C. Clapprood to Michael Goncalves, 117 Nassau Drive, $196,000.
Christal J. Vaz and Rishawn Harris to Naomie C. Delva, 3 Hillside Place, $300,000.
Christopher Edmunds to Sean Roth and Katie Roth, 63 Welland Road, $346,000.
David Kachinski and William Raleigh to Alonzo Smith and Denise Lewis, 46-48 Mooreland St., $325,000.
Dylan J. Sheehan, Nora A. Sheehan and Nora A. Snyder to Cailyn Pereira, 150 Louis Road, $273,000.
U S A Housing & Urban Development to Jose Rivera-Portillo, 22-24 Terrence St., $250,000.
Home LLC, to Mass Rentals LLC, 466 Liberty St., $320,000.
James M. Montana, representative, William Gregory Montana, estate, and William G. Montana, estate, to Dominic Kirchner II, trustee, and Cioccolate Realty Trust, trustee of, 14 Dorchester St., $54,255.
Jeffrey G. Cabana to Angel Sunuwar and Sarita Bhattaral, 63 Rencelau St., $300,000.
John H. Meredith to Jose A. Cruz Rivera, 48 Eton St., $248,000.
John J. Damato to Johnny Franco Paredes, 18 Fairmont St., $430,000.
Juan C. Rodriguez and Sharon M. Rodriguez to Javier Pardave and Dayana Pardave, 193 Corona St., $300,000.
Kennedy Acquisitions LLC, to Wendy Gilman, 305 Denver St., $295,000.
KHL Group LLC, to Mheg Inc., 751-755 Liberty St., $180,000.
80 Congress Street Properties LLC, to Aldaine Murray, 39 Milton St., $300,000.
Luis Infante, Luis C. Infante Perez and Elizabeth Aguilera De Infante to Jose R. Brizuela and Jose Roberto Brizuela, 194-196 Massachusetts Ave., $335,000.
Luis Ventura to Angelina Marte Pena, 108 School St., $265,000.
Marcia L. Doyley and Edger Dunkelly to Flanders Homebuyers LLC, and Cream City Homebuyers LLC, 54 Princeton St., $95,000.
Michael J. Molinari and Paul V. Boutot to Phoenix St. LLC, 27 Phoenix St., $500,000.
Nelly Otero and Nelly Collazo to Hiram Maldonado Rolon and Emely F. Martinez Marrero, 19 Granville St., $250,000.
New Canaan Properties LLC, to Consultant LLC, Pioneer Valleys Event Catering and Donovan Allen, 442 Liberty St., $260,000.
Patricia Haynes Nnaji to Luis Eduardo Perez, 54 Dawes St., $200,000.
Patriot Living Properties LLC, to A Plus Enterprises Inc., 0 W S Chilson St., $40,000.
Richard L. Marino, Ronald J. Marino and Eileen Marino to James J. Jozokos Jr., and Mary Jane Flynn, 17-19 Alsace St., $335,000.
Robert J. Cotton and Sylvia Cotton to Dnepro Properties LLC, 95 Windemere St., $240,000.
Ronnie T. Salas to Jorge Rosa, 515 Berkshire Ave., $405,000.
Rose D. Roman and Noel Vazquez Martinez to Rose Mirleine Janvier, 47 Laurel St., $289,900.
Round Two LLC, to Hector Suarez, 85 Farnsworth St., $243,000.
Sharon R. Raverta, representative, and Roy Fanti, estate, to Cil Realty of Massachusetts Inc., 171 Atwater Road, $475,000.
Springfield Gardens 69 LP, and Schweb Partners – Springfield LLC, to Lachenauer LLC, 0 WS Fort Pleasant Ave., $200,000.
Steven E. Zeimbekakis and George Zeimbekakis to Susan Agostine, 775 White St., $310,000.
Suzanne Duguay to Philip J. Beaulieu, 286 Nassau Drive, Unit 286B, $187,900.
Ware
Ryan E. Mulligan, personal representative, and Jeanne C. Mulligan, estate, to Megan Charter, 210 Belchertown Road, $252,500.
West Springfield
Bent Tree Development LLC, to Peter J. Godbout, 21-23 Piper Road, $449,900.
Kerry L. Lafromboise to Congamond Management LLC, 29-31 Worthen St., $200,000.
Lok B. Bhattarai to Kiritkumar I. Patel and Sobhna Patel, 13 Alderbrook Lane, $352,000.
Pavel Duducal and Tatyana Duducal to Tila Gurung and Sujit Gurung, 38 Humphrey Lane, $396,000.
Samuel P. Orlando and Suzanne U. Orlando to Matthew J. Sady and Amy E. Sady, 115 Peachstone Glen, $660,000.
Westfield
Aero Fastener Realty LLC, to Conrad Z. Mayeski and Patricia L. Mayeski, 95-97 Highland Ave., $425,000.
Centura Bay LLC, to Shakira B. Valentin, 24 Hampden St, $220,000.
Conrad Z Mayeski and Patricia L Mayeski to Joshua D. Olin and Noel Olin, 82 Sackett Road, $396,500.
Daniel C. Alvord to Bradley R. Alvord and Shannon M. Boyden, 277 Hillside Road, $250,000.
Katie Schott, Katie L. Laplante, Edward Laplante, representative, and David E. Laplante, estate, to Andrew Schultz, 23 Walker Ave., $327,500.
Malia Homebuyers LLC, to Ashlyn Whitney Pentowski and Sarah M. Pentowski, 127 Northridge Road, $350,000.
Nathaniel Arkoette and Candace A. Francis to Candace A. Francis, 92 Crane Ave., $46,500.
Patricia Z. Johnson, Susan M. Zarichak and Carol Z. Glynn to Juan Rodriguez Reyes, 131 Westwood Drive, $330,000.
Stacey Albert Sorawat and Shaneekwa Shaunte Perkins to Mohamed Sadique Abdul Cader and Fathima Nusrath Sadique, 405 Montgomery Road, $460,000.
Westhampton
Robert J. Tobin and Diana L. Tobin to Miguel Estrada-Zavala and Brandon Miguel Estrada Rodriguez, 160 Laurel Hill Road, $589,000.
Whately
Nicole L. Pietraszkiewicz to David F. Harrington, Kathleen P. Harrington and Susan M. Lewis, 62 Long Plain Road, $605,000.
Brenden J. Monahan to Nicole L. Pietraszkiewicz, 282 Haydenville Road, $529,000.
Wilbraham
Gwen Christine Smith to Katherine Siegel and Justin McKenna, 155 Stony Hill Road, $349,900.
Matthew P. Metzler to Rattlesnake Holdings LLC, 92 Burleigh Road, $156,000.
Phyllis M. Emet to Tyler Emet, Gabriela Fonseca Marafuga and Eric Emet, 8 Mark Road, $275,000.
Robin Farrington Cook and David W. Cook to Elizabeth Af Simons and Jacob Michael Simons, 4 Ripley St., $410,000.
Williamsburg
Elizabeth M. Hartman to Paola V. Sherman, 33 Petticoat Hill Road, $237,000.
Worthington
Leann M. Mason to Lydia Irene Bussiere, Sherri Schon, Robert Thomas Scott, Iris Scott and Elizabeth McCormick, 584 Kinnebrook Road, $539,000.
Andrew Mikula is chair of the Legalize Starter Homes ballot committee.
I came across Baxter Village after a Google Maps perusal of one of the country’s fastest-growing regions. Completed in 2014 and billed as a “traditional neighborhood development” with a walkable town center and intimate, tree-lined residential streets, the village is downright idyllic. The architecture is clearly inspired by early 20th-century New England — a Norman Rockwell-style vista of homes with raised front porches, wood clapboard siding, steep roofs, and dormer windows.
But Baxter Village isn’t located in New England. It’s in South Carolina, about 15 miles south of Charlotte.
The reality is that 15 miles outside of Boston, Worcester, or Lowell, Baxter Village would almost certainly be illegal, for a variety of reasons. First, the development’s home lots are small, often only slightly larger than a basketball court. Local zoning codes in suburban Massachusetts frequently preclude such small lots, and New England in particular has high minimum lot-size requirements for new homes, compared to most of the country.
Given that Massachusetts has the nation’s toughest home buying market for young adults, many voters are open to reducing these lot-size minimums. A May 2025 Abundant Housing Massachusetts/MassINC poll found that 78 percent of Massachusetts voters support “allowing homes to be built on smaller lots,” and 72 percent support allowing the subdivision of large lots into smaller lots. Doing so would open up more housing options in the suburbs, creating opportunities to build smaller, lower-cost homes suitable for first-time buyers and downsizing seniors, colloquially called “starter homes.”
That’s why 12 housing experts — urban planners, academics, land use attorneys, and advocates — and I recently filed a petition with the Massachusetts attorney general’s office that would make it legal to build on lots about the size of a basketball court (5,000 square feet) statewide. As long as the lot has access to public sewer and water service, as well as a 50-foot border with the street, the site could host a single-family home, although it may be subject to other regulations like wetlands protections and limits on short-term rentals.
Our committee — Legalize Starter Homes — cleared the first signature-gathering hurdle needed to place this measure on the ballot this year, and Secretary of State William Galvin’s recent certification has advanced this potential ballot question to the next step in the process.
Research has shown that Massachusetts’ large minimum lot-size requirements increase home prices and reduce new production. One Harvard study found that in Greater Boston, a quarter-acre increase in the minimum lot-size requirement was associated with 10 percent fewer homes permitted between 1980 and 2002. Separately, a 2011 study found that Eastern Massachusetts minimum lot-size requirements can increase home prices by as much as 20 percent or more and that these price effects tend to increase over time.
Other states have acted on such facts amid a nationwide housing crunch. In June, Maine capped minimum lot sizes in “designated growth areas” statewide at 5,000 square feet when served by public sewer and water systems. This is remarkable given that Maine has both a less severe housing shortage than Massachusetts and a much larger volume of undeveloped, inexpensive land.
The Massachusetts Legislature has tried to enhance the production of starter homes before, offering incentive payments under Chapter 40Y to municipalities to adopt new zoning districts that allow for them. But more than three years after Chapter 40Y was enacted, the state has yet to finalize regulations that would allow for these zoning districts to be created. Meanwhile, builders struggle to justify much new construction given high interest rates, tariffs on building materials, and labor shortages in the trades.
Our ballot petition creates a framework for allowing starter homes that is more easily implemented and doesn’t require municipalities to adopt new zoning. And unlike the MBTA Communities Act, it would solely allow for the creation of single-family homes, most of which would probably be owner-occupied.
Recent public polling data, research findings, precedents in other states, and the urgent and extreme nature of Massachusetts’ housing shortage all suggest that now is the right time to limit minimum lot sizes in places with sufficient infrastructure for new housing. The result could be a far-reaching expansion of opportunity for a new generation of homeowners in Massachusetts.
Authorities will speak Friday after a death occurred while police were serving a search warrant for child sexual abuse material in Princeton, Massachusetts.
The subject of the search warrant “was a person of trust in communities in Worcester and Middlesex Counties,” Massachusetts State Police said.
Authorities said little about the case ahead of the press conference, which will begin at 6 p.m. and be streamed in the player above.
State police will be hosting the conference, which will include Princeton Police Chief Paul Patricia, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan.
Check back for more as this story develops.
Massachusetts
Mass. unveils $250 million in subsidies to protect residents from premium hikes – The Boston Globe
Audrey Morse Gasteier, executive director of the Massachusetts Health Connector, said the financial bulwark that benefited 270,000 residents is “part of the reason that we’re hanging in there in terms of enrollment and keeping people covered.”
But Thursday’s announcement won’t translate into any additional help.
Healey’s news conference coincided with the beginning of an election year in which three Republicans are vying for her job and voters are expected to be particularly focused on the state’s high cost of living. One survey last year found Massachusetts had the second highest cost of living in the country. People who saw their insurance premiums increase this year said it was one pricey bill amid an onslaught of growing expenses.
“I can’t believe how much it is when we go to the grocery store. Our electricity has gone up,“ said Judith O’Gara, whose family was hit with a $400 increase a month in insurance premiums for their ACA plan in January. ”We were just bracing ourselves to try to stretch the paycheck further.”
O’Gara, of Millis, is a part-time editor at community newspapers, and her husband is a self-employed computer animator and mural artist. She has added hours at work, she said, but it still wasn’t enough to qualify for health coverage through her employer, leaving the couple to buy insurance through the connector.
Healey also used the news conference to weigh in on a high-profile effort in Congress to revive the federal subsidies. Also on Thursday, the US House, with help from 17 Republican defectors facing competitive reelection races, passed a bill that would extend the subsidies for another three years. A small group of senators is considering proposing their own extension of the subsidies.
“We need to see people in Congress step up and take action and fight the president on this and get him to focus on the domestic agenda and how to make life more affordable for people,” Healey said.
The governor said she didn’t announce the influx of funds earlier because she had hoped Congress would act before the end of 2025.
“We gave up until the deadline to see if they take action,” she said.
ACA open enrollment extends through Jan. 23.
The infusion of funds from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund brings the state’s total commitment to the insurance marketplace to $600 million, which Healey said is the largest support from any state in the country.
Federally subsidized insurance policies were first made available to people making less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $128,600 for a family of four, in 2009 under President Barack Obama’s ACA, also known as Obamacare. In 2021, Congress made those subsidies more generous for many recipients and extended them to people earning up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level. The expanded tax credits doubled participation in the ACA exchanges over the past four years, and by last year 337,000 people in Massachusetts received subsidized insurance through ConnectorCare.
The increases were slated to expire after four years, and without congressional action to preserve them, premiums reverted to pre-2021 levels for this year. People earning more than 400 percent of the poverty level became ineligible to receive subsidized insurance. State officials have estimated roughly 300,000 people could become uninsured statewide over the next decade, in part due to the expiration of the tax credits.
Democrats staged a 43-day shutdown last fall, the longest in US history, in an unsuccessful effort to preserve the expanded subsidies.
The Commonwealth Care Trust Fund predates the 2021 coverage expansion, said Doug Howgate, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a nonprofit budget watchdog, and was established to support ConnectorCare programs. Massachusetts has long had a robust public insurance program, and the 2021 expansion essentially allowed the state to shift the cost of subsidies it had been paying to the federal government. Tapping the trust fund now essentially returns Massachusetts to the support levels it provided prior to 2021, Howgate said.
Regardless of the timing of Healey’s announcement, it is a reality that Massachusetts has a uniquely robust commitment to health insurance access, Howgate said.
“I do think that the idea that the state is able to offset some of those impacts is an important message to get out there,” he said. “This is real money.”
According to Healey’s office, a 45-year-old couple with two kids making $75,000 in Fall River previously paid $166 per month for the lowest-cost coverage. Without state action, their premium would have more than doubled. But with the infusion from the trust fund, they will pay $206 per month.
There’s only so much the state can do to mitigate the impacts of the expired subsidies, though. Because Congress didn’t extend them, people between 400 and 500 percent of the federal poverty level simply are ineligible to sign up for subsidized policies through the ACA marketplace. There are roughly 27,000 people statewide who cannot benefit from the state’s effort to compensate for the lost federal money, and those people are among those facing the biggest new insurance expenses.
Christa, 56, a hair dresser, and her husband, Gary, 69, a truck driver, earn less than $105,750 annually combined, just shy of 500 percent of the poverty level. The couple, who asked not to be named to protect their privacy, went from paying $282-a-month for Christa’s insurance with no deductible, to a private plan costing $725 a month with a $2000 deductible.
Gary, who is enrolled in Medicare, is still counting on Congress for a reprieve.
“I believe the Senate will be forced to do something, and we’re hoping,” he said.
Jason Laughlin can be reached at jason.laughlin@globe.com. Follow him @jasmlaughlin.
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