What two $2.3 million new construction homes look like on the South Shore

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2024

What two .3 million new construction homes look like on the South Shore

Every week, The Patriot Ledger posts a week of South Shore, Massachusetts, real estate sales. Aren’t you curious what your new neighbor paid?

Every week, we post all the South Shore real estate sales in an easy to read town-by-town list. Be a nosy neighbor. Be smart about your biggest investment. Or just enjoy perusing.

This week’s Top 5 home sales include two brand new builds. In Hingham, you have the coveted Crowe Point. In Norwell, the ever popular modern farmhouse.

Massachusetts rent prices are the highest in country, a new study says. Click here to read more. We can also show you the Top 10 home sales of 2023 here.

Top 5 home sales for the South Shore, Massachusetts, for April 16-19, 2024

$3,150,000, 60 Columbine Road, Milton, Branch-Elliman-Zucker Lt and Adam J. Zucker to Christopher Brooks and Courtney Kiernan, April 17, 2024, single family.

$2,336,315, 95 Wompatuck Road, Hingham, Hilltop Prop Group LLC to Emma and Rodney W. Davies, April 19, 2024, single family.

Brand new build: 3,360 square feet of living with 5 beds, 5 baths in Crowe Point

$2,300,000, Norwell, 18 Hitching Post Lane, Hitching Post 18 LLC to Frederick N. and Stacy K. Jurgens, April 17, 2024, single family.

More: New construction farmhouse with wraparound porch

$2,025,000, 22 Raynor Drive Unit 22, Hingham, Mavromates Ft and S P. Mavromates Jr to Ruiz Ft and Victor R. Ruiz April 17, 2024, condo.

More: LIght filled home includes music room, sun room

$1,725,000, 25 Charles St., Hingham, Julia A. Drybanski to Henry T. and Deanne E. Coolidge Jr., April 19, 2024, single family.

More: Near Wompatuck State park and the high school, set on an acre

South Shore, Massachusetts, real estate sales for April 16-19, 2024

Abington

101 Rice St., Marieclaude Damefils to Chelaine Alfred, $550,000, April 16, single family.

218 Regency Lane Unit 218, Winston M. Marbella Jr. to Kunal Gawale and Vaishali M. Pajai, $510,000, April 17, condo.

40 Robbins Ave., 40 Robbins Ave Realty Trust and Rachel Dunbar-Leal to Jennifer M. and George R. Anzivinoo, $400,000, April 18, single family.

Braintree

102 Arnold St., Anthony J. and Amy C. Holmes to Vi A. Huynh and Baduy Nguyen, $750,000, April 16, single family.

11 Harbor Villa Ave., Wentworth Yvonne C. Est and Patricia E. Buker to 11 Harbor Villa Ave Limited Liability Co., $615,000, April 19, single family.

142 Hawthorn Road, Dorsey P. and Kathryn F. Connolly to Michael Beagan and Trisha C. Kingsbury, $1,075,000, April 17, single family.

501 Commerce Drive Unit 1116, Karen Lane to Lucy M. Vivanco, $263,215, April 19, condo.

Canton

20 Meyer Terrace Unit 20, Kathleen M. Sheppard to Meaghan A. Sanborn and Cody J. Hauptman, $520,020, April 19, condo.

25 Holly Way, Carl David and Sandra P. Mccollin to Manju and Puneet Sharma, $850,000, April 16.

45 Turtle Brook Road Unit 45, Paramjit Singh and Apneet Kaur to Mary Finn, $536,000, April 16, condo.

95 Pleasant Circle, Paul W. and Nicole M. Connolly to Kathleen M. Sheppard, $500,000, April 19, single family.

Carver

29 Santana Way Unit 29, Dennis M. Johnson to Reinhard and Jill E. Strobl, $540,000, April 16, condo.

3 Old Main St., Mark E. and Colleen J. Rice to Benjamin H. and Dani M. Brewer, $480,000, April 19, single family.

42 Priscilla Mullins Way, Dana A. and Patricia B. Caldarone to Joel Baggia, $760,000, April 18, single family.

Fuller St., Nantasket Cranbery Lp to Adga Realty Limited Liability Co., $2,050,000, April 19.

Silva St., Nantasket Cranbery Lp to Adga Realty Limited Liability Co., $2,050,000, April 19.

Cohasset

350 Forest Ave., R. E. & Nancy C. Fernalld T. and Tracy A. Govan to Michael P. and Joanna E. Going, $1,100,000, April 18, single family.

704 Jerusalem Road, Charles K. Botts Jr. and Denise P. Perez-Botts to Jing Hua, $920,000, April 18, single family.

Duxbury

114 Onion Hill Road, Daniela A. Lovendale to Alan Joachim and Joanna Horobin, $1,259,000, April 17, single family.

15 Lady Slipper Lane, Davod W. Robinson 2017 T. and Jill A. Robinson to Anne L. Maloney RET and Anne L. Maloney, $960,000, April 19, single family.

25 Kingstown Way, Folajide Properties Limited Liability Co. and Qs Lending Two T. to Folajide Properties Limited Liability Co., $900,000, April 19, single family.

25 Kingstown Way, Qs Lending Two T. and Steven A. Ross to Ratan S. Oberoi and Kamaria Powell, $990,000, April 19, single family.

Halifax

10 Lantern Lane, Joyce Ellen Rita Hay Lt and Joyce E. Hay to Jeffrey S. and Andrea J. Hay, $394,250, April 17, single family.

11 Madison Road, Joel and Krista Cannistraro to Jesse Smith, $395,000, April 19, single family.

111 Palmer Mill Road, Andrea J. Hay to Afb Realy Limited Liability Co., $420,000, April 17, single family.

30 Holmes St., Holmes St Realty Trust and Randi M. Leigh to Mark and Kimberly Holmes, $515,000, April 17, single family.

Hanover

11 Milestone Way Unit 11, Tammy J. Taylor to Stephanie O. and John Zawalich, $900,000, April 17, condo.

326 Hanover St., Pablo and Christina Lopez to Anastasia Sukhikh and Dmitry Gullin, $830,000, April 16, single family.

732 Center St., Adam D. and Chelsea M. Jacobs to Brian Bowles and Chelsea Kranz, $1,150,000, April 16, single family.

Hanson

11 Sydney Lane, Meghan A. and Scott A. Greenberg to Donald and Dianne Cirasuolo, $790,000, April 18, single family.

252 Gorwin Drive, Robert R. & S. Beautegard T. and Craig S. Beaurergart to Jake and Olivia B. Mcinerney, $555,900, April 19, single family.

Hingham

22 Raynor Drive Unit 22, Mavromates Family Trust and S. P. Mavromates Jr. to Ruiz Family Trust and Victor R. Ruiz, $2,025,000, April 17, condo.

25 Charles St., Julia A. Drybanski to Henry T. and Deanne E. Coolidge Jr., $1,725,000, April 19, single family.

95 Wompatuck Road, Hilltop Prop Group Limited Liability Co. to Emma and Rodney W. Davies, $2,336,315, April 19, single family.

Holbrook

29 Belcher St., 29 Belcher St Limited Liability Co. to Mary Dao and Tyler Guiffre, $595,000, April 17, single family.

99 Poole Circle, Rebecca L. and Felipe M. Francisco to Ryan Tracy, $515,000, April 18, single family.

Hull

158 Atlantic Ave., Muriel L. Lambert T. and Willam J. Lambert to Carole Lambert, $375,000, April 18, single family.

16 Rivers Edge Road Unit 16, Robert D. Jacobs to Joan M. Palazuelo, $730,000, April 18, condo.

94 Packard Ave., Richard M. and Deborah D. Silverman to Gabriel Silverman and Rachel A. Brinard, $405,000, April 19, single family.

Kingston

10 Blair Drive, Mark F. Cingolani to Mark R. and Kimberly R. Reardon, $815,000, April 18, single family.

248 Main St., Patrick and Bryanna Kerr to Richard Dowling, $651,000, April 19, single family.

42 Smiths Lane, Louis W. Nogueira RET and Kathy L. Lombardi to Jack Hogan and Kylie J. Mauro, $550,000, April 16, single family.

Marshfield

15 Crane Road, Brian Foster to Christopher Blackburn, $695,000, April 18, single family.

71 Donald Road, Joseph A. and Mary Murray to Brian and Lisa Tedford, $507,500, April 18, single family.

769 Plain St. Unit G., Jeffrey J. and Melinda A. Adams to Wharg Creek Limited Liability Co., $225,000, April 17.

937 Webster St., Thomas Webster St Realty LL to Dung T. Ngo, $1,075,000, April 17.

Commerce Way, Vrt Corp. to Marshfield Commerce Way L., $7,143,750, April 19.

Milton

131 Eliot St. Unit 105, 131 Eliot Street Limited Liability Co. to Howard T. Ware 3rd and Nancy D. Grant, $745,000, April 17, condo.

35 Pagoda St., Kristina Iwai to Christopher Sellers and Madelyn Driscoll, $775,000, April 19, single family.

415 Adams St., Cornelius F. and Barbara F. Kiley to Antonette and Erin Alston, $980,000, April 17, single family.

6-8 Belvoir Road, Khita Pottinger to Brian Donnelly and Emily Regan, $880,000, April 17.

60 Columbine Road, Branch-Elliman-Zucker Lt and Adam J. Zucker to Christopher Brooks and Courtney Kiernan, $3,150,000, April 17, single family.

Norwell

138 Lincoln St., Richard Fitzwilliam and Kathleen Joyce to Mary N. and John J. Turgeon, $1,495,000, April 17, single family.

18 Hitching Post Lane, Hitching Post 18 Limited Liability Co. to Frederick N. and Stacy K. Jurgens, $2,300,000, April 17.

285 Prospect St., John and Brittany Mackenzie to Alyce Fernley and Ryan Link, $914,000, April 17, single family.

293 Cross St., Taylor Roth to X. Bros Bldg & Const Inc., $861,000, April 17, single family.

Pembroke

48 Hobomock St., 4 Girls Properties Limited Liability Co. to Thomas Chaber and Rebecca Hunziker, $600,000, April 19, single family.

Plymouth

12 Forest Edge, Scott M. and Janice M. Drew to Michael P. and Athena W. Carey, $1,150,000, April 16, single family.

19 Barquentine Drive, Patrick and Christina Comerford to James F. and Kimberly Chance, $551,000, April 19, single family.

26 Avenue B., Emma B. Mitchell Realty Trust and Emma B. Mitchell to William and Tara Jacobs, $580,000, April 19, single family.

28 Kates Gln Unit 28, Jacqueline S. Tauber to Mary A. Conte, $647,500, April 19, condo.

310 Court St. Unit 1, Samantha A. Puglia to Margaret M. Walsh, $80,000, April 18, condo.

33 Flintlocke Drive, Matthew R. Hope to Michael C. and Ashley M. Anderson, $535,000, April 19, single family.

4 Dubois Way, Joseph E. Julio to Aaron M. and Emma Soto, $625,000, April 18, single family.

5 Hawthorne Road, Whitman Homes Inc. to David and Dena Melnick, $597,900, April 17.

6 Stone Gate Drive, Augustini Diodato to Waleed and Anum Shah, $249,900, April 16.

60 Tinkers Blf Unit 60TB, Ridge Development Limited Liability Co. to Andrew J. Walker and Begona Garcia, $1,049,191, April 18, condo.

606 Bourne Road, India J. Rose and Sterling Bishop to Doglas Esposito and Meredith Jefferson, $522,000, April 16, single family.

8 Milford St., Ashley Eldridge to Harvest Home Prop Limited Liability Co., $331,000, April 17, single family.

Quincy

10 Seaport Drive Unit 2508, Jay Weinberg to Shishir Ramesha, $480,000, April 18, condo.

10 Weston Ave. Unit 126, Daphney Frederique to Zhen Z. Ma, $370,000, April 18, condo.

153 Edgewater Drive, Ryan Norfolk County Realty Trust and Ruth J. Ryan to Jeffrey Hannon and Matthew Logan, $530,000, April 16, single family.

2 Mayflower Road, Largey Norma A. Est and Dianne M. Brown to William Joseph, $580,000, April 16, single family.

220 E. Squantum St., Thomas Napolitano to Robert Napolitano, $120,000, April 18.

230 Willard St. Unit 312, Robert G. Fontana to Kendrick T. Evans, $325,000, April 19, condo.

25 Foster St., Cleveland Properties Limited Liability Co. to Foster Street Owner Limited Liability Co., $1,350,000, April 17.

502 Sea St. Unit 502, Jeffrey M. and Deborah A. Johnson to Pablo F. Macedo and Berta F. Collarte, $620,000, April 18, condo.

511 Hancock St. Unit 603, Nq3 Development Limited Liability Co. to Sze Fong, $750,000, April 19, condo.

9 Darrow St., Sharon Massaadi to Brigido Ramirez-Espinosa and Cara M. Norris-Ramirez, $510,000, April 18, single family.

Randolph

114 North St., David J. Calixte and Ivy N. Watts-Calixte to Teresa Pina, $570,000, April 16, single family.

20 Mill Hill St., Linda Nguyen to Hajs RET and Hung T. Pham-Do, $765,000, April 19, single family.

29 Amelian Road, Stephen E. and Tori A. Williams to Delita and Michael Goodridge, $705,000, April 19, single family.

33 Toscano Way Unit 33, 502 South Main Hldg Limited Liability Co. to Louis T. Ng and Mei H. Xiong, $599,900, April 16, condo.

59 Highland Glen Drive Unit 334, Jill C. Mackenzie to Bashirat Shittu, $280,000, April 19, condo.

Rockland

48 Carey St., James F. Wheeler to Edward D. Segel, $701,000, April 17.

50 Linden St., Sean M. Powell and Kevin D. Esancy to Kevin Driscoll, $475,000, April 17, single family.

91 Payson Ave., Rbc Realty Trust and Wiliam E. Christie to Michael Doherty and Lily Christie, $450,000, April 19, single family.

Scituate

14 Old Country Way Unit C., Malloy Hall Limited Liability Co. to Sharon L. Drillio, $675,000, April 18, condo.

37 Sandy Hill Circle Unit 37, Sharon L. Drillio to Richard J. Fitzwilliam and Kathleen M. Joyce, $895,000, April 18, condo.

41 Rebecca Road, Fabiana Yee to Phantika T. and John C. Cusanno, $942,000, April 19, single family.

62 Seaview Ave., Benjamin T. and Caylee A. Doherty to Erin O. Brien, $945,000, April 19, single family.

Sharon

11 Hillside Ave., Linda L. Kay to Robert and Lauren Evers, $952,500, April 19, single family.

11 Reeve Road, Laurie R. Topale to Xichen Lyu and Yiying Liu, $1,150,000, April 16, single family.

14-R Bradford Ave., Douglas S. and Susan T. Kast to Aaron and Rachel Schacht, $905,000, April 17.

19 Swift Lane, 19 Swift Ln Realty Trust and Dennis H. Sherman to Victor and Sarah Abkevich, $1,500,000, April 18, single family.

2 Pleasant Park Road,, condon Kathleen M. Est and Melissa A. Howitt to Zachary J. Burkett and Catherine Piper, $630,000, April 19, single family.

Barefoot Hill Road, Robert M. and Doreen M. Soffer to Daniel J. and Sara M. Cohen, $850,000, April 19.

Stoughton

116 Gilbert Drive, Edward D. Segel to Caleigh Q. and Trevor D. Wright, $711,000, April 17, single family.

16 Elderwood Drive Unit 16, Susan K. Casteel and Michael R. Kimmelman to John P. Bastiani Jr., $400,000, April 16, condo.

55 Brewster Road Unit 55, Teresa B. Delaney to Ivy Watts-Calixte, $610,000, April 17, condo.

67 Westview Drive, Calabrese Faith M. Est and Jennifer A. Graziano to John and Mary A. Finney, $610,000, April 19, single family.

67 Woodbine Road, David and Laura Prudden to Cynthia Kline, $610,000, April 19, single family.

Weymouth

109 High St., Gerard K. and Sarah A. Greene to Nacef Bahri and Salma Goummih, $615,000, April 17, single family.

16 Volusia Road, Philip A. Mccann to Zacchary S. Ruffini, $480,000, April 18, single family.

202 Tall Oaks Drive Unit D., Kevin Driscoll to David Morrisey, $315,000, April 17, condo.

31 4th Ave., Saliba Family Trust and Keri A. Mocanu to Hai R. Zhu and Liu S. Ao, $565,000, April 19, single family.

395 Green St., Weimin Shao and Shouhui Hu to Erika Maldonado, $579,000, April 16, single family.

53 Concannon Circle, Patrick and Katherine M. Kent to Samantha L. Michaelsen and Jeremy C. Kazanjian-Amory, $1,046,000, April 16, single family.

57 Brewster Road, Deboer Adam W. Est and Jeanne H. Deboer to Travis Lampron, $485,000, April 16, single family.

6 Woodcrest Court Unit 4, Laura Delaplain to Joshua D. Delaplain-Zook, $216,000, April 19, condo.

612 Randolph St., Glenn Peterson and Karen Knight to Ruijia Cai, $426,000, April 19, single family.

9 Charles St., Matthew J. Aronson to Jennifer Delgrande, $620,000, April 16, single family.

96 Charles Diersch St., Macauley Brothers Inc. to Shayna and Christopher Dooley, $676,000, April 17, single family.

99 Fountain Lane Unit 4, Olga M. Colon to Kenneth W. Dahdah Jr., $280,000, April 16, condo.

Whitman

383 Washington St., Patricia Russ to Joseph M. and Sarah Bradley, $450,000, April 19, single family.

877 Auburnville Way Unit A3, Donna P. Martin to Constance D. Nix and Brian D. Dabek, $475,000, April 19, condo.

Copyrighted material previously published in Banker & Tradesman. Reprinted with permission of publisher, The Warren Group, www.thewarrengroup.com.

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Massachusetts gas prices slightly declined from last week. Here’s how much.

Published

1 hour ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Massachusetts gas prices slightly declined from last week. Here’s how much.

State gas prices slightly declined for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $2.86 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, down from last week’s price of $2.88 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The average fuel price in state declined about 8 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the state in the last year have been as low as $2.86 on Jan. 5, 2026, and as high as $3.11 on Sep. 8, 2025.

A year ago, the average gas price in Massachusetts was 3% higher at $2.95 per gallon.

>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at data.southcoasttoday.com.

The average gas price in the United States last week was $2.80, making prices in the state about 2.3% higher than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is slightly lower than last week’s average of $2.81 per gallon.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts police watchdog decertifies five former officers

Published

14 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

Massachusetts police watchdog decertifies five former officers

The state commission charged with oversight of Massachusetts police decertified five former officers from around the state, including a former deputy police chief convicted last year of raping a teenage girl while serving as a school resource officer.

Former Hopkinton Deputy Police Chief John “Jay” Porter was convicted in June of conducting a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old student off-campus between 2004 and 2005. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Porter’s decertification last month by the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission means he, along with the other four decertified officers, will be permanently prohibited from serving as police officers in the state. The decertifications bring the total to 75 since the POST Commission was created in 2020.

The woman in Porter’s case did not come forward to report the assaults until 2022, MassLive previously reported. The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office said previously the student often sought support from Porter when she was in the 9th and 10th grades, but their relationship changed when she was 15, “going from a trusted adult and student to a flirtatious, then sexual one.”

The case also implicated former Hopkinton Police Sgt. Timothy Brennan, who was fired from the department for not reporting Porter to law enforcement after the victim confided in him about the assaults. She first informed Brennan of her inappropriate relationship with the former deputy chief in 2017 and told him not to report Porter, saying she would deny the information if he did so. She ultimately came forward to the district attorney’s office at his encouragement.

According to the decertification order released Dec. 19, Porter did not respond to mailings from the commission or defend himself against its allegations.

The commission redacted information from its decertification order detailing the misconduct allegations against Porter. In past cases, the board has redacted information covering criminal charges against officers or their personal information.

State Police Trooper Calvin Butner

Retired Massachusetts State Police Trooper Calvin Butner of Halifax was also decertified in December after he pleaded guilty last year for his role in a bribery scheme to provide Commercial Driver’s License credentials to unqualified applicants.

Between May 2019 and January 2023, authorities say, Butner and three others within the State Police Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Unit, which is responsible for administering CDL skills tests, agreed to give passing scores to at least 17 applicants, regardless of whether they passed the test. In exchange for the passing grades, the troopers involved in the scheme received thousands of dollars in gifts and services, MassLive previously reported.

Authorities say Butner gave passing scores to three people who failed the test and five who did not take the test at all. He was sentenced in August to three months in federal prison followed by one year of supervised release, with the first three months in home confinement.

Butner did not respond to the POST Commission’s communications or defend himself.

Hull Police Sgt. Scott Saunders

Scott Saunders, a former Hull Police Department sergeant, was also decertified in December, and the related decertification order was redacted. Saunders was charged in 2023 with assaulting his 72-year-old neighbor, with whom he had a reported history of disputes. The case in Plymouth District Court was continued without a finding in August, allowing it to be dismissed if Saunders meets the conditions of probation.

The neighbor told the media at the time that Saunders hit his car with a paddleboard as he drove past him that day. When the neighbor got out of the car to confront the sergeant, he said Saunders pushed him down and punched him.

The Hull Police Department immediately placed Saunders on leave after the incident.

Saunders did not respond to the POST Commission’s communications or defend himself. MassLive was unable to contact Saunders for comment.

Greenfield Police Officer Christopher Hewitt

The reasons behind the decertification of former Greenfield Police officer Christopher Hewitt are unclear. Much of the commission’s December decision was redacted.

The POST website cites a section of Massachusetts General Laws that says, “The commission shall immediately suspend the certification of any officer who is arrested, charged or indicted for a felony.”

Hewitt also did not respond to the commission’s allegations against him. MassLive was unable to contact Hewitt for comment.

Peabody Police Officer Gerald Fitzgerald

The final officer decertified last month, Gerald Fitzgerald, formerly of Peabody Police Department, signed an agreement with the commission to have his certification permanently revoked and waive his right to contest the facts of his decertification in the future.

Fitzgerald was accused of falsifying an incident report from a November 2023 armed robbery by writing that a female suspect had assaulted two people at the restaurant where the robbery took place.

After being instructed by a supervisor to review the surveillance footage from the incident to verify his account, Fitzgerald said he had done so and added more information to the report.

Another detective who later viewed the footage determined the allegations that led to the assault charges against the female were false. Fitzgerald admitted he had not watched the entire footage as instructed, and the assault charges against the suspect were dropped.

According to the decertification agreement, Fitzgerald had previously faced disciplinary action on four occasions since 2015 for missing court dates, not completing required training and showing up to firearms training while intoxicated.

Stoughton Police Deputy Chief Robert Devine

The POST Commission voted last month to decertify Robert Devine, a former Stoughton deputy police chief accused of misconduct involving Sandra Birchmore, MassLive previously reported.

Birchmore, who was 23 and pregnant, was found dead in her Canton apartment on Feb. 4, 2021. Her death was initially ruled a suicide, but on further investigation, it was ruled a homicide. Former Stoughton Police Officer Matthew Farwell has since been charged federally with killing Birchmore to hide a sexual relationship they began after she joined a police youth program as a teenager.

The commission accused Devine, who oversaw the program, of coordinating a “sexual encounter” with Birchmore while he was on duty in December 2020. He has not been charged criminally in connection with the case and denied the POST Commission’s claims against him.

State lawmakers established the oversight commission in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.

The nine-member board, appointed by the governor and attorney general, has broad power to set standards that all law enforcement agencies and officers in Massachusetts must abide by and to investigate and decertify police officers accused of misconduct.

Many of the officers it has decertified have been convicted of criminal charges, automatically leading to the loss of their certifications. However, the commission can also decertify officers it finds liable for egregious but noncriminal misconduct.

The commission reports the names of decertified officers to a national registry, a move intended to alert departments in other states to their troubled histories.

If you are a victim of sexual assault, you are not alone.

Rape Crisis Centers in Massachusetts offer free, confidential services for adolescent and adult survivors as well as their loved ones.

Crisis centers operate a 24/7 toll-free hotline for phone counseling, questions and referrals. For a full list of regional crisis centers, click here.

SafeLink offers a 24/7 toll-free hotline:
- (877) 785-2020
- (877) 521-2601 (TTY)

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Massachusetts

A 5,000-square-foot solution to the Massachusetts housing crisis – The Boston Globe

Published

1 day ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

A 5,000-square-foot solution to the Massachusetts housing crisis – The Boston Globe

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.

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