The lead proponent of the ballot question that aims to make it easier to build single-family homes urged voters to support the measure in a virtual meeting on Thursday with Newton residents.
Andrew Mikula, chair of the Legalize Starter Homes, better known as Yes on 7, said Question 7 on the Nov. 3 ballot is a crucial piece of the solution to the state’s housing crisis. Luke Mann-O’Halloran, president of Newton for Everyone, a nonprofit that advocates for housing affordability, hosted the event.
Question 7 aims to remove restrictive regulations that require large lot sizes for new homes. It asks voters to allow for single-family homes to be built on smaller slots that are served by public sewer and water. Currently, cities and towns set their own minimum lot size requirements, which tend to be much larger than the proposed minimum of 5,000 square feet.
Mikula said these current large minimum lot size requirements raise the cost of housing both directly since more land costs more money and indirectly since large minimum requirements limit the number of homes that can be built in a given area, increasing buyer competition, which increases prices.
“Anyone who needs a small, low-cost, low-maintenance starter home in traditional parlance has really been locked out of the market in recent decades,” Mikula said.
The housing crisis in Massachusetts is connected to both affordability and lack of supply. From 1950 to 1990, Massachusetts housing stock grew by 12% to 21% in each decade. From 2010 to 2020, the total number of units grew by only 6.8%. Question 7 aims to address the supply end of the problem by making it easier to build single-family homes.
Massachusetts has made efforts to address the crisis, but most initiatives, such as the MBTA Communities Law, focus on multifamily housing. Mikula said this makes it harder for people to settle down, build wealth and establish roots.
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that Massachusetts lost 33,340 more people to other states than it gained from July 2024 to July 2025.
Mikula said this migrancy not only impacts the economy by shrinking the workforce but separates extended families.
“It’s really hard for people to grow a community over time,” Mikula said. “People need to get on a three hour flight to see their kids and grandkids.”
In collaboration with Boston University political science professor Maxwell Palmer, Yes on 7 conducted research that anticipates that 2,200 to 5,700 additional new homes would be built per year if Question 7 passes. About 75% to 90% of these new homes would be in greater Boston.
Newton City Councilor Pamela Wright asked in the meeting how the question addresses affordability if it doesn’t specify affordability and size limits.
“You’re right that the petition language itself doesn’t specify affordability or size limits,” Mikula said. “But that’s because we kind of delegated those determinations to, what is going to be a much more public process.”
The Massachusetts Municipal Association shares this concern, writing that “the petition also does not require the homes to be affordable or sold at below-market rates.” This is a common concern of opponents, who point out that the ballot question language doesn’t address the cost of the housing that would be built.
In an interview Friday, MMA communications director John Ouellette said passage of Question 7 would not ensure more starter homes will be built.
“There’s no limitations on the size of the structure, there’s no limitation on the sale price, the income range of a buyer, no guardrails at all,” Ouellette said. “It’s misleading to call it a starter home ballot question.”
Another common concern is that the ballot question would override local zoning powers through a one-size-fits-all policy that might not be suited for every community.
“We feel that decisions about development and growth in the community are best made at the local level by folks who understand the local conditions,” Ouellette said.
Supporters of Question 8 include Governor Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell. The MMA, Americans for Tax Reform and Republican Party all oppose it.
Public opinion is mixed. According to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll of 206 people conducted Oct. 14-18, 41.2% were in favor of Question 7, 40.6% were opposed and 16% remain undecided.
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This story is part of a partnership between the Newton Beacon and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom Initiative.