Current:Home > MyBoston Mayor Michelle Wu pledges to make it easier for homeowners to create accessory housing units-InfoLens
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu pledges to make it easier for homeowners to create accessory housing units
View Date:2024-12-23 14:58:11
BOSTON (AP) — Making it easier for Boston homeowners to create smaller, independent living units inside their homes or yards is just one of the proposals offered by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu in her annual State of the City address Tuesday,
The proposal — a modest effort in part to address the city’s housing shortage — would streamline efforts by homeowner to construct the accessory dwelling units “to expand lower-cost housing options, empower residents to build wealth, and foster diverse, multigenerational living spaces,” Wu said.
It was also a more modest proposal than those championed by the Democrat when she was running for the office in 2021 — proposals like making greater Boston’s MBTA public transit system free. So far, a few bus lines are operating fair-free.
Wu pointed to a series of actions including working to ban fossil fuels in new city buildings, introducing zero net carbon zoning and launching Boston’s first-ever networked geothermal system aimed at delivering clean energy for heating and cooling to hundreds of families.
She said the city has launched a program to convert office buildings into residential complexes that has already attracted proposals to turn eight downtown buildings into housing. To tackle traffic, the city is using machine learning to detect where congestion is worst, then optimize signals to unclog key corridors.
Other goals outlined by Wu include preserving existing affordable housing across Boston’s neighborhoods and adding 50 electric school buses this year, more than doubling the current fleet of electric buses.
She also announced that starting in February, every Boston Public School student and up to three family members will get free admission on the first and second Sundays of each month, to a slew of cultural institutions, including the Boston Children’s Museum, the Franklin Park Zoo, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium.
Wu said she was inspired by a story that her mother, a Taiwanese immigrant then struggling to understand a foreign language, told her about the time she took her in a stroller to a downtown museum on a Tuesday when admission was free so she could stare up at a painting of a cliff full of wildflowers.
“In this moment, this mom with no money and no words in this language feels like the best mom on earth because she has given her daughter the world for a day,” Wu said. “Tonight, her daughter gets to announce a new program for kids all across Boston, to feel at home in the places that show them the world.”
veryGood! (89185)
Related
- RHOBH's Kyle Richards Addresses PK Kemsley Cheating Rumors in the Best Way Possible
- Jury selection to begin in the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez
- Mother's Day traditions differ across the world — see how other families celebrate
- Two killed, more than 30 injured at Oklahoma prison after 'group disturbance'
- Conviction and 7-year sentence for Alex Murdaugh’s banker overturned in appeal of juror’s dismissal
- LENCOIN Trading Center: Market Impact of BTC Spot ETFs
- Mass shooting causes deaths in crime-ridden township on southern edge of Mexico City, officials say
- Everlane’s Latest Capsule Collection Delivers Timeless Classics That Are Chic, Stylish & Vacation-Ready
- Pentagon secrets leaker Jack Teixeira set to be sentenced, could get up to 17 years in prison
- Jury selection to begin in the corruption trial of Sen. Bob Menendez
Ranking
- Tom Brady Shares How He's Preparing for Son Jack to Be a Stud
- Pro-Palestinian protests dwindle on campuses as some US college graduations marked by defiant acts
- Duke students walk out to protest Jerry Seinfeld's commencement speech in latest grad disruption
- Sean 'Diddy' Combs asks judge to reject lawsuit alleging rape of 17-year-old girl in 2003
- New Jersey will issue a drought warning after driest October ever and as wildfires rage
- Minnesota raises new state flag, replaces old flag with one to 'reflect all Minnesotans'
- Winners and losers of NBA draft lottery: What Hawks' win means for top picks, NBA
- Who is Alexandre Sarr? What to know about potential No. 1 pick in 2024 NBA Draft
Recommendation
-
College Football Fix podcast addresses curious CFP rankings and previews Week 12
-
Book excerpt: What This Comedian Said Will Shock You by Bill Maher
-
Florida Panthers rally for win in Boston, put Bruins on brink of NHL playoff elimination
-
Minnesota raises new state flag, replaces old flag with one to 'reflect all Minnesotans'
-
Missing Ole Miss student declared legally dead as trial for man accused in his death looms
-
Cute & Practical Hiking Outfits That’ll Make Hitting the Trails Even More Insta-Worthy
-
Forgotten Keepers of the Rio Grande Delta: a Native Elder Fights Fossil Fuel Companies in Texas
-
Are US interest rates high enough to beat inflation? The Fed will take its time to find out