Starter homes are scarce in Central Massachusetts, yet both younger buyers and older adults looking to downsize are seeking them. That competition makes it harder for the region's seniors to find a smaller home.
Here's what to know
The number of households headed by someone 70 or older in Central Massachusetts is projected to grow by 14,800 between 2025 and 2035, according to the Central Massachusetts Housing Snapshot from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, cited by the Worcester Business Journal.
The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission puts the region's housing need at 14,000 to 15,000 units, according to the Journal, while permits are on pace to cover only 8,000 to 9,000, a shortfall of about 6,000 units.
"What we don't have a lot of in our region would be smaller, more accessible homes," said Jordan Hollinger, the commission's planning and transportation researcher. "A lot of our housing stock is older. … So, there's a whole slew of housing typologies that we don't see a lot of, and we call that missing middle housing."
Zoning adds another hurdle. Many towns still cap new multifamily buildings at three units per parcel, the Journal reported, which narrows the field for anyone hoping to downsize into something smaller.
More background
Higher utility bills and maintenance expenses take a growing bite out of the limited fixed incomes of seniors staying in their homes.
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Market-rate alternatives include The Arbella at Bramble Hill, a 123-unit Worcester community for adults 55 and older developed by United Group of Companies, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
At the Worcester Housing Authority, CEO Alex Corrales said roughly 10,000 elderly applicants are waiting for public housing, with wait times stretching three to five years or more. The authority's federal public housing list is no longer open to new applicants.
Four federally funded buildings account for more than 800 of those apartments, the Journal reported. A fifth property, the 62-unit Greenwood Gardens complex, uses state funding to house seniors and people with disabilities.
Residents often stay put for 15 to 20 years, sometimes more, leaving few openings for those on the waitlist, the Journal reported. Building new housing in Worcester costs $400,000 to $600,000 per unit, creating another obstacle to expanding affordable options.
What's being done?
The planning commission is also piloting a three-year program called HomeShare, which aims to help older residents stay in their homes while opening up more housing for everyone else, according to the Journal.
The Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds are paying for the pilot, which pairs homeowners with room to spare with people hunting for an affordable place to live.
At Curtis Apartments, the authority wants to tear down and rebuild 372 aging units while adding 157 new ones. Lakeside Apartments is undergoing a separate overhaul that would grow its unit count from 202 to roughly 350, the Journal reported. Accessible units are set to climb at both properties.
Corrales envisions turning the 44-unit Booth Apartments, which sits on more than 7 acres, into 200 to 300 units of senior housing, the Journal reported. He wants the redeveloped site to include a health clinic, meals or nutrition support, and group activities to keep residents engaged with their community.
Outside of those projects, he pointed to modular construction as another potential way to bring costs down.
Corrales said expanding affordable housing will require participation beyond Worcester's boundaries.
"The hope is that you'll start seeing more housing being built, not just in Worcester, but in the surrounding towns as well," he said.
Where can I learn more?
The shortage of smaller homes in Central Massachusetts is part of a wider housing squeeze for older adults.
• In Massachusetts, zoning restrictions make 1,000-square-foot starter homes illegal to build, but voters could change that.
• Springfield, Massachusetts, opened a $1 million property-tax relief fund for seniors and disabled homeowners.
• In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, an affordable manufactured home project nearly sold out months after opening.
• The U.S. faces a deepening senior housing crunch as baby boomers turn 80.
• Massachusetts is 15.6% toward its 222,000-home goal as its housing chief backs site review reform.
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