Decisions, Decisions

On Tuesday, November 2 (about 2 weeks away as I write), Massachusetts voters will deciding the fate of three statewide initiatives. Questions 1 and 3 would roll back various state taxes, and are no-brainers as far as I'm concerned; we simply can't afford to cut the sales tax right now (Question 3), and I fail to see why alcoholic beverages deserve an exemption from the sales tax (Question 1). Question 2, though, is less straightforward; it's a bid to overturn the so-called "anti-snob zoning statute", Chapter 40B. The statute basically enables developers to override local zoning and environmental protection laws in return for making 20% of the units in the project "affordable".

The definition of "affordable" means, roughly, "can be afforded by someone earning 70% of the median town income." Hence, the level varies from town to town. The units are not affordable in perpetuity; rather, they revert to market rate units once the initial unit financing is paid off.

I've read the arguments for and against the initiative, and I'm pretty sure now that I'll be voting yes (to overturn 40B). The statute seems to be a very blunt instrument for creating affordable housing, and it's not at all clear to me that it really works.

While doing my research on this topic, I had a hard time finding out which communities are subject to 40B (towns with less than 10% affordable housing). I finally found the Subsidized Housing Inventory, but it's a PDF, which makes it difficult to pull into a spreadsheet and sort. Well, I ground my way through the exercise (thank you, emacs!), and here's the information in a more digestible form. Have fun!

Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI)
Department of Housing and Community Development
as of September 28, 2010*

Community|2000 Census Year Round Housing Units|Total Development Units|SHI Units|% 
Abington|5,332|504|471|8.8
Acton|7,645|897|519|6.8
Acushnet|3,879|127|97|2.5
Adams|4,352|324|324|7.4
Agawam|11,588|504|472|4.1
Alford|173|0|0|0.0
Amesbury|6,570|859|495|7.5
Amherst|9,020|1,125|1,023|11.3
Andover|11,513|1,326|1,043|9.1
Aquinnah|155|41|41|26.5
Arlington|19,358|1,307|1,102|5.7
Ashburnham|1,997|147|32|1.6
Ashby|1,000|0|0|0.0
Ashfield|770|2|2|0.3
Ashland|5,781|348|243|4.2
Athol|4,775|255|255|5.3
Attleboro|16,519|1,198|1,198|7.3
Auburn|6,551|212|212|3.2
Avon|1,737|74|74|4.3
Ayer|3,141|463|293|9.3
Barnstable|20,266|1,858|1,369|6.8
Barre|1,981|82|82|4.1
Becket|739|0|0|0.0
Bedford|4,692|979|857|18.3
Belchertown|5,002|396|370|7.4
Bellingham|5,632|582|532|9.4
Belmont|9,936|328|328|3.3
Berkley|1,870|130|15|0.8
Berlin|891|182|60|6.7
Bernardston|862|24|24|2.8
Beverly|16,150|1,935|1,859|11.5
Billerica|13,055|1,432|1,186|9.1
Blackstone|3,321|165|123|3.7
Blandford|472|2|2|0.4
Bolton|1,472|192|63|4.3
Boston|250,367|50,116|48,503|19.4
Bourne|7,787|1,189|568|7.3
Boxborough|1,900|324|24|1.3
Boxford|2,602|64|23|0.9
Boylston|1,602|26|26|1.6
Braintree|12,924|1,646|1,125|8.7
Brewster|4,379|299|252|5.8
Bridgewater|7,639|222|214|2.8
Brimfield|1,287|89|89|6.9
Brockton|34,794|4,486|4,486|12.9
Brookfield|1,259|46|40|3.2
Brookline|26,224|2,554|2,122|8.1
Buckland|812|5|5|0.6
Burlington|8,395|1,383|981|11.7
Cambridge|44,138|7,207|7,117|16.1
Canton|8,129|965|860|10.6
Carlisle|1,647|26|20|1.2
Carver|4,063|126|126|3.1
Charlemont|576|6|6|1.0
Charlton|3,868|52|52|1.3
Chatham|3,596|174|174|4.8
Chelmsford|12,981|1,293|966|7.4
Chelsea|12,317|2,192|2,187|17.8
Cheshire|1,458|0|0|0.0
Chester|528|50|50|9.5
Chesterfield|462|27|27|5.8
Chicopee|24,337|2,598|2,561|10.5
Chilmark|406|3|3|0.7
Clarksburg|683|8|8|1.2
Clinton|5,817|560|560|9.6
Cohasset|2,752|89|89|3.2
Colrain|749|4|4|0.5
Concord|6,095|738|363|6.0
Conway|716|0|0|0.0
Cummington|401|16|16|4.0
Dalton|2,831|160|160|5.7
Danvers|9,712|1,362|999|10.3
Dartmouth|10,839|975|934|8.6
Dedham|8,893|1,142|1,097|12.3
Deerfield|2,045|32|32|1.6
Dennis|8,079|351|337|4.2
Dighton|2,261|408|150|6.6
Douglas|2,510|183|140|5.6
Dover|1,874|69|18|1.0
Dracut|10,597|928|588|5.5
Dudley|3,877|99|99|2.6
Dunstable|933|30|0|0.0
Duxbury|5,103|224|189|3.7
East Bridgewater|4,423|229|167|3.8
East Brookfield|797|0|0|0.0
East Longmeadow|5,350|499|431|8.1
Eastham|2,642|58|49|1.9
Easthampton|7,058|531|475|6.7
Easton|7,596|351|248|3.3
Edgartown|1,718|84|84|4.9
Egremont|624|0|0|0.0
Erving|625|2|2|0.3
Essex|1,357|40|40|2.9
Everett|15,886|1,304|1,304|8.2
Fairhaven|6,853|495|495|7.2
Fall River|41,757|4,858|4,762|11.4
Falmouth|14,440|1,224|960|6.6
Fitchburg|15,963|1,667|1,666|10.4
Florida|279|0|0|0.0
Foxborough|6,260|595|555|8.9
Framingham|26,588|2,901|2,901|10.9
Franklin|10,296|1,567|1,069|10.4
Freetown|2,991|106|88|2.9
Gardner|8,804|1,243|1,243|14.1
Georgetown|2,601|374|362|13.9
Gill|550|25|25|4.5
Gloucester|12,997|907|899|6.9
Goshen|380|8|8|2.1
Gosnold|49|0|0|0.0
Grafton|5,820|531|318|5.5
Granby|2,288|68|68|3.0
Granville|578|10|10|1.7
Great Barrington|3,116|291|219|7.0
Greenfield|8,274|1,175|1,165|14.1
Groton|3,339|269|197|5.9
Groveland|2,090|132|75|3.6
Hadley|1,943|259|259|13.3
Halifax|2,804|28|28|1.0
Hamilton|2,717|124|84|3.1
Hampden|1,843|60|60|3.3
Hancock|341|0|0|0.0
Hanover|4,440|438|438|9.9
Hanson|3,167|265|143|4.5
Hardwick|1,054|33|33|3.1
Harvard|2,156|237|62|2.9
Harwich|5,862|292|292|5.0
Hatfield|1,420|47|47|3.3
Haverhill|23,675|2,306|2,084|8.8
Hawley|165|0|0|0.0
Heath|416|2|2|0.5
Hingham|7,307|2,283|522|7.1
Hinsdale|775|0|0|0.0
Holbrook|4,145|439|439|10.6
Holden|5,806|541|193|3.3
Holland|947|29|29|3.1
Holliston|4,861|316|200|4.1
Holyoke|16,180|3,570|3,515|21.7
Hopedale|2,284|111|111|4.9
Hopkinton|4,521|299|150|3.3
Hubbardston|1,348|53|53|3.9
Hudson|7,144|904|733|10.3
Hull|4,679|100|100|2.1
Huntington|847|62|62|7.3
Ipswich|5,414|517|445|8.2
Kingston|4,370|347|170|3.9
Lakeville|3,385|701|150|4.4
Lancaster|2,103|192|104|4.9
Lanesborough|1,299|20|20|1.5
Lawrence|25,540|3,807|3,788|14.8
Lee|2,542|173|176|6.9
Leicester|3,790|148|148|3.9
Lenox|2,354|179|179|7.6
Leominster|16,937|1,455|1,418|8.4
Leverett|642|0|0|0.0
Lexington|11,274|1,441|1,326|11.8
Leyden|288|2|2|0.7
Lincoln|2,076|299|227|10.9
Littleton|3,018|396|245|8.1
Longmeadow|5,832|267|267|4.6
Lowell|39,381|5,247|5,212|13.2
Ludlow|7,815|182|182|2.3
Lunenburg|3,605|132|132|3.7
Lynn|34,569|4,424|4,423|12.8
Lynnfield|4,249|626|313|7.4
Malden|23,561|2,706|2,638|11.2
Manchester|2,219|122|110|5.0
Mansfield|8,083|980|934|11.6
Marblehead|8,746|399|332|3.8
Marion|2,095|101|90|4.3
Marlborough|14,846|1,656|1,592|10.7
Marshfield|9,117|743|536|5.9
Mashpee|5,578|240|224|4.0
Mattapoisett|2,634|70|70|2.7
Maynard|4,398|365|365|8.3
Medfield|4,038|203|185|4.6
Medford|22,631|1,666|1,640|7.2
Medway|4,243|279|227|5.3
Melrose|11,200|969|894|8.0
Mendon|1,870|106|49|2.6
Merrimac|2,281|402|146|6.4
Methuen|16,848|1,925|1,636|9.7
Middleborough|7,195|768|413|5.7
Middlefield|229|18|18|7.9
Middleton|2,337|94|94|4.0
Milford|10,682|997|724|6.8
Millbury|5,086|244|221|4.3
Millis|3,060|164|113|3.7
Millville|956|20|20|2.1
Milton|9,142|567|435|4.8
Monroe|66|0|0|0.0
Monson|3,184|169|169|5.3
Montague|3,826|427|395|10.3
Monterey|417|0|0|0.0
Montgomery|254|0|0|0.0
Mount Washington|69|0|0|0.0
Nahant|1,676|48|48|2.9
Nantucket|4,040|180|122|3.0
Natick|13,337|1,620|1,361|10.2
Needham|10,793|850|834|7.7
New Ashford|107|0|0|0.0
New Bedford|41,403|5,195|5,164|12.5
New Braintree|325|0|0|0.0
New Marlborough|630|0|0|0.0
New Salem|399|1|1|0.3
Newbury|2,614|94|94|3.6
Newburyport|7,717|722|629|8.2
Newton|31,857|2,537|2,444|7.7
Norfolk|2,851|144|111|3.9
North Adams|7,061|885|873|12.4
North Andover|9,896|1,193|694|7.0
North Attleborough|10,600|293|293|2.8
North Brookfield|1,889|142|142|7.5
North Reading|4,839|607|536|11.1
Northampton|12,282|1,515|1,452|11.8
Northborough|4,983|711|598|12.0
Northbridge|4,930|393|378|7.7
Northfield|1,194|30|30|2.5
Norton|5,942|723|413|7.0
Norwell|3,299|294|139|4.2
Norwood|11,911|731|719|6.0
Oak Bluffs|1,677|155|146|8.7
Oakham|583|0|0|0.0
Orange|3,236|441|377|11.7
Orleans|3,317|324|294|8.9
Otis|600|0|0|0.0
Oxford|5,209|402|402|7.7
Palmer|5,371|436|378|7.0
Paxton|1,455|12|12|0.8
Peabody|18,838|2,111|1,996|10.6
Pelham|551|3|3|0.5
Pembroke|5,834|778|630|10.8
Pepperell|3,905|137|122|3.1
Peru|334|0|0|0.0
Petersham|453|0|0|0.0
Phillipston|598|6|6|1.0
Pittsfield|21,000|2,076|2,022|9.6
Plainfield|262|15|15|5.7
Plainville|3,088|223|189|6.1
Plymouth|19,008|901|861|4.5
Plympton|865|43|43|5.0
Princeton|1,185|20|20|1.7
Provincetown|2,062|168|127|6.2
Quincy|39,912|4,093|4,093|10.3
Randolph|11,497|1,265|1,265|11.0
Raynham|4,197|602|487|11.6
Reading|8,811|883|684|7.8
Rehoboth|3,588|108|36|1.0
Revere|20,102|2,121|2,121|10.6
Richmond|718|0|0|0.0
Rochester|1,619|8|8|0.5
Rockland|6,632|454|408|6.2
Rockport|3,652|136|136|3.7
Rowe|183|0|0|0.0
Rowley|1,985|118|88|4.4
Royalston|470|3|3|0.6
Russell|634|18|18|2.8
Rutland|2,316|93|93|4.0
Salem|18,103|2,549|2,350|13.0
Salisbury|3,456|514|298|8.6
Sandisfield|351|0|0|0.0
Sandwich|7,574|545|309|4.1
Saugus|10,111|831|742|7.3
Savoy|313|14|14|4.5
Scituate|6,869|359|314|4.6
Seekonk|4,927|86|83|1.7
Sharon|6,006|386|386|6.4
Sheffield|1,422|30|30|2.1
Shelburne|873|51|51|5.8
Sherborn|1,449|41|34|2.3
Shirley|2,140|60|60|2.8
Shrewsbury|12,606|856|856|6.8
Shutesbury|680|2|2|0.3
Somerset|7,124|277|258|3.6
Somerville|32,389|3,226|3,118|9.6
South Hadley|6,757|379|379|5.6
Southampton|2,003|44|44|2.2
Southborough|2,988|441|117|3.9
Southbridge|7,486|496|496|6.6
Southwick|3,488|221|195|5.6
Spencer|4,816|276|240|5.0
Springfield|61,001|10,375|10,098|16.6
Sterling|2,611|270|163|6.2
Stockbridge|1,066|117|117|11.0
Stoneham|9,231|508|502|5.4
Stoughton|10,429|1,746|1,249|12.0
Stow|2,108|301|143|6.8
Sturbridge|3,141|262|211|6.7
Sudbury|5,582|419|280|5.0
Sunderland|1,658|6|6|0.4
Sutton|2,869|127|45|1.6
Swampscott|5,804|217|211|3.6
Swansea|6,032|256|245|4.1
Taunton|22,874|1,883|1,771|7.7
Templeton|2,492|483|205|8.2
Tewksbury|10,125|1,264|666|6.6
Tisbury|1,755|122|110|6.3
Tolland|183|0|0|0.0
Topsfield|2,126|142|124|5.8
Townsend|3,162|166|126|4.0
Truro|999|10|10|1.0
Tyngsborough|3,784|521|194|5.1
Tyringham|146|0|0|0.0
Upton|2,083|223|178|8.5
Uxbridge|4,080|372|245|6.0
Wakefield|9,914|936|602|6.1
Wales|690|61|61|8.8
Walpole|8,202|475|475|5.8
Waltham|23,749|1,773|1,764|7.4
Ware|4,285|446|446|10.4
Wareham|8,650|884|754|8.7
Warren|2,004|112|112|5.6
Warwick|314|0|0|0.0
Washington|210|0|0|0.0
Watertown|14,959|1,161|998|6.7
Wayland|4,703|280|216|4.6
Webster|7,343|733|692|9.4
Wellesley|8,789|514|482|5.5
Wellfleet|1,430|37|37|2.6
Wendell|405|2|2|0.5
Wenham|1,310|169|116|8.9
West Boylston|2,454|288|189|7.7
West Bridgewater|2,507|125|63|2.5
West Brookfield|1,436|62|62|4.3
West Newbury|1,414|82|28|2.0
West Springfield|12,196|442|442|3.6
West Stockbridge|632|0|0|0.0
West Tisbury|1,081|38|23|2.1
Westborough|6,729|721|671|10.0
Westfield|15,362|1,095|1,095|7.1
Westford|6,877|643|347|5.0
Westhampton|557|0|0|0.0
Westminster|2,609|273|86|3.3
Weston|3,796|250|138|3.6
Westport|5,545|458|224|4.0
Westwood|5,218|615|497|9.5
Weymouth|22,471|1,857|1,833|8.2
Whately|647|2|2|0.3
Whitman|5,100|218|218|4.3
Wilbraham|5,021|256|255|5.1
Williamsburg|1,057|76|76|7.2
Williamstown|2,926|147|147|5.0
Wilmington|7,141|939|711|10.0
Winchendon|3,563|345|345|9.7
Winchester|7,860|150|148|1.9
Windsor|378|0|0|0.0
Winthrop|8,009|642|642|8.0
Woburn|15,312|1,305|1,137|7.4
Worcester|70,408|9,603|9,591|13.6
Worthington|522|22|22|4.2
Wrentham|3,477|268|164|4.7
Yarmouth|12,056|514|407|3.4

Totals|2,526,963|271,397|243,630|9.6