Submitted by State Senator Michael Barrett
As the State Senator representing Bedford and the surrounding towns, I’m conscious of housing needs from both a local and regional perspective. I’ve been impressed by the effort being made in Bedford to address the need for new housing, as well as the thoughtful way in which these needs are being considered in the context of the many other important, local priorities. The next step is passing the MBTA Communities bylaw to create opportunities for more multi-family housing in town.
We are all acutely aware of the negative effect our housing crisis is causing across our region. Towns in our area produce an abundance of capable young people. But when these kids grow up, they’re moving away. Not by choice, but out of necessity, due to the difficulty of finding a moderately priced place to live.
This and the fact that we’re not drawing enough young folks from elsewhere to take up the slack — again because of high housing costs — results in acute labor shortages. Many longtime residents are finding it difficult to stay in the communities they have contributed so much to because of the cost and availability of appropriate housing. These issues impact us all. While Bedford is only a small part of why this is true, we can absolutely make a difference in solving it.
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