Planet Money’s Three Reasons for the Housing Shortage

There is current record low inventory for houses. We are far short of the number of homes we need.

Listen to Planet’s Money’s podcast Three Reasons for the Housing Shortage and in just 16 minutes hear the three big reasons for the shortage:

• Older folks choosing to grow old in their homes

• Restrictive Zoning Laws

• Shortage of tradespeople

What can we do here in Andover to combat these issues and what is ACT already doing?

We need to ensure that our zoning laws align with town goals to be an affordable and desirable place to live for a diverse group of folks. According to the podcast, most of the U.S. is zoned exclusively for single-family homes. ACT’s first 7 permanently affordable homes were single family homes. Now ACT is building our first duplexes. On one parcel of land on Lupine Road we are building 6 duplexes so 6 new families will have affordable home ownership opportunities in Andover. Stay tuned for more articles on local zoning and what you need to know about zoning in Andover.

In addition, ACT works closely with Greater Lawrence Technical School to help train a whole new generation of carpenters, HVAC specialists, electricians and plumbers. This partnership is helping to contribute to re-building the skilled trades.

Supporting ACT is a great way to start to help alleviate the housing shortage!