Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | October 19, 2026 | wbjournal.com REAL ESTATE INSIDER Property Auto Liability Bonds Employee Benefits Workers' Compensation Protection you can count on. People you can trust. We understand the challenges and risks that businesses face. Put our expertise to work for you with customized coverage, cost - efficient plans, and personalized service. Consider our options. Contact us for a consultation. dfmurphy.com | 800 222 8711 WORCESTER | BOSTON | PROVIDENCE | CAPE COD | FRAMINGHAM FletcherTilton.com Local Insight. Real Results. Commercial real estate success depends on timing, insight, and execution. We bring all three—backed by deep local knowledge and decades of experience. Mark Donahue 508.459.8029 Todd Brodeur 508.459.8038 COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE | ACQUISITION | SALE | FINANCING LEASING | PERMITTING | ZONING | CONDOMINIUMS Dewey, suggested reviewing zoning regulations already in place. Most three-decker apartment buildings, she pointed out, are built on 5,000 square-foot lots. While Question 7 applies only to single-family builds, keeping that in mind can give voters a sense of scale in terms of property size. "I think it's maybe caused a little bit more concern than is entirely war- ranted," McDonald said. "e reality is it's not going to make every relatively small parcel buildable." More than a dozen Worcester Coun- ty towns don't have any public water or sewer, she said, which automatically eliminates them from the law's juris- diction. And in many of the towns that do have public utilities, that service is concentrated in downtown and village areas, where housing is already more congested. McDonald downplayed concerns that the proposed law would compel municipalities to expand any existing water and sewer services. While it's not impossible that the state Exec- utive Office of Housing and Livable Communities could frame such re- quirements as reasonable regulations, she said that was a step beyond the proposal's language. "I think it provides an opportunity," McDonald said, but not as big an op- portunity as people hope for or fear. e zoning proposal is also not en- tirely new to the region. Worcester, she said, already has a 5,000 square-foot single-family zoning subsection. More than half of land zoned for single-family homes in Massachu- setts requires lots to be at least 40,000 square feet, or just shy of an acre, according to National Zoning Atlas, a nonprofit that compiles zoning data across the country. Nearly a quarter of lots require at least 80,000 square feet, nearly two acres. Industry support Several chambers of commerce, including the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, have backed the ballot initiative, framing the law as an opportunity to boost workforce housing options. Real estate industry groups are also largely supporting Question 7, includ- ing the Massachusetts Association of Realtors and the Realtor Association of Central Massachusetts. Konstantina Choros, government affairs director for the Realtor As- sociation of Central Massachusetts, framed Question 7 as a way to attract and retain talent in a difficult, costly housing market. "You will have people graduate from top universities, look around and say, I can't afford to live here anymore, and leave," Choros said. e same is true of people who receive job offers in state, she said. At the same time, on the other end of the spectrum, seniors and empty nesters may find themselves trapped in houses that are too large or too costly because they cannot afford to go anywhere else. Lowering the bar for building single-family homes, she said, would provide more middle-class housing options and also potentially help lower housing prices in Central Massachusetts. "Your average first-time homebuyer is 40 years old now," Choros said. at age, Choros said, is too high for people who are looking to start their lives and start families. Preserving the character of a given town is admirable, she said, but it's not the end-all. Some municipal leaders say no e ballot question bypasses local control and imposes a rigid require- ment that creates unintended conse- quences, said Adam Chapdelaine, executive director and CEO of the Massachusetts Municipal Associ- ation, in an editorial posted on the organization's website. "Cities and towns are actively working on solutions, zoning for new growth, and expanding multi-family districts," Chapdelaine said in the commentary. "But a statewide ballot initiative — Question 7 — presents a deeply flawed, one-size-fits-all directive that threatens to undermine community-driven planning without solving the underlying affordability problem. " Chapdelaine urged a no vote on the question "to protect community-led planning, safeguard local infrastruc- ture, and focus on genuine affordabil- ity." Ballot Question 7 is among nine binding, statewide questions up for vote on Nov. 3. continued from page 5 W

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