Senior Housing

Real Estate Tax/Rent Rebate Program for Seniors & Senior Zoned Housing

It is no secret that Boston’s skyrocketing real estate market is having a myriad of effects on the city, many too fast to keep up with. While knocking on doors and meeting my neighbors over the last few months, I have encountered many long term residents who are looking to downsize from their family homes but still remain in the city. With rents skyrocketing as high and as quickly as they are, it’s important that we work as a city to assist residents interested in downsizing, so that family homes in our neighborhood are available to new families looking to set down roots in Allston-Brighton.

Recommendations for Sustainable Development

A Real Estate Tax/Rent Rebate Program for Seniors

In addition to rising rents, seniors in our neighborhood and across the city have been facing rising real estate property taxes that are further handicapping moderate and low income seniors from saving money to downsize elsewhere in the city. Basing our program off of a long successful program in Pennsylvania, Boston residents 65 older making less than 40,000 a year (with only half of social security counted) would be entitled to a maximum yearly rebate of $900, funded in part by my proposed real estate transfer tax and in part by the existing property taxes on luxury developments.

Senior-Specific housing in new developments.

While the debate over housing developments in our neighborhood has often centered around the percentage of required affordable units, which I have always fought to raise, but as we fight for more affordable units, we can also fight for a small percentage of these units to be zoned specifically for seniors. Combined with the proposal above, Boston seniors who are looking to downsize and remain in the city will not only have the ability to save for smaller units but also have the space reserved for them in new developments across the city.