Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | May 4, 2026 | wbjournal.com BY ERIC CASEY WBJ Managing Editor M ayor Joseph Petty said Worcester can't afford the impact of rent control on housing production. Gov. Maura Healey said the mere talk of rent control has scared away developers and would halt housing production. e Worces- ter Regional Chamber of Commerce has come out against the rent control initiative likely headed for November's ballot, saying its one-size-fits-all approach doesn't account for local circumstances. e chamber's April 2 event in opposition to rent control attracted dozens of devel- opers, landlords, and elected officials. Elected officials like Petty and Healey have been joined by over three dozen Massachusetts elected officials in opposing the rent control ballot ini- tiative, including Gardner Mayor Mi- chael Nicholson, Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella, State Sen. Michael Moore (D-Worcester), Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster), and Worces- ter City Council members Kathleen Toomey, Morris Bergman, Tony Economou, and Jose Rivera. "I studied economics and finance at Bentley University before getting elected, and it does not take an economics major to under- stand that if you put artificial price controls on the revenues that rentals have, you're going to disincentivize investment in property," McK- enna said at the chamber event. Despite their objections, busi- ness and political leaders have their work cut out for them. Early polls show the majority of voters favor rent control as housing costs continue to rise. How- ever, all the debate might be moot, as legis- lators have the ability to overrule the ballot initiative. "Being in the trenches doing what I do each and every single day, what I'm worried about is primarily the mes- sage that we're sending to the private sector," Jackson Restrepo, Worcester property developer and founding partner of Restrepo Properties, said at the chamber event. "It's already very difficult as it is to build anything, or even to be a property manager." The appeal of rent control If passed, the ballot initiative would cap statewide rent increases to either 5% or that year's Consumer Price Index increase, whichever is lower. Rent control would apply for lease renewals and new tenants, with a 10-year exemption for newly con- structed housing. Carve outs exist for owner-occupied properties with fewer than five units. A November poll from Suffolk University and Boston Globe found 62.6% support for the initiative among 500 registered voters, while a University of New Hampshire poll from February found 56% support among 699 Massachusetts residents. About 38% of state residents live Central Mass. business and political leaders oppose the ballot initiative, but will voters listen? Opposing rent control Mayor Joseph Petty Gov. Maura Healey State Sen. Michael Moore (D-Worcester) State Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) SMC Management of Watertown has been building the 110-unit Residences on Madison multifamily project in Worcester since 2024. PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT

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