Mike Minogue on Welfare & Poverty

Let towns choose what to build; give them more money

Healey: Massachusetts [is] a great place to live if you can afford it. I have a first time homebuyer program, 25% towards your first home. But we need to build more housing in the state.

Minogue: If you go talk the builders and developers, the stretch codes we have in the towns and cities are so difficult to meet. It costs an extra $25,000 in hard costs for every little apartment. It's even more for big homes. So we need solve the problem. The permitting takes too long. It's about a year and a half for a single family home. Get it back to 45 days or less. and have it if you don't have it by then. And the second thing is, we need to do a better job on getting rid of the stretch codes. If you do those two things, you'll allow people to build. But what you shouldn't do is sue with an unfunded mandate to 1500 condos when they can't handle it with their schools infrastructure, water, septic. Let them have the choice but give them more money.