Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Ballot Petition to Allow 5,000-Square-Foot Home Lots Statewide

BOSTON — March 16, 2026 — Massachusetts lawmakers heard nearly two hours of testimony on a ballot initiative that would cap minimum residential lot sizes at 5,000 square feet statewide in communities with public water and sewer service. The Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions took testimony March 16 on Initiative Petition 25-03, also known as House Bill 5000, with Acting House Chair Kate Hogan and Sen. Paul Feeney presiding. Andrew McCuller, chair of the Legalized Starter Homes Coalition, told the panel the measure could create up to 700,000 new buildable lots and produce between 2,200 and 5,700 new homes annually, against a backdrop of a statewide median home price of $642,000 and a 38 percent drop in active listings since 2020. Massachusetts Municipal Association Executive Director Adam Chapdelaine, testifying remotely from Washington, strongly opposed the measure, calling it a "one-size-fits-all" preemption of local zoning authority; MMA legislative counsel Ali Di Matteo warned that Weymouth alone faces $90 million to $120 million in water infrastructure costs and that many communities are already at or near sewer capacity. The committee's deadline for written testimony is Friday, March 20, at 5 p.m., after which the legislature may enact the measure, take no action, or let it advance toward the November 2026 ballot.