National Housing Forum. Thomas Menino.
GlobeSt.com: In terms of growing the inventory of affordable housing, what can the local--or even the state or federal--government do that local developers and investors haven't been able to accomplish?
Menino: Local government has some tools available to us. We have vacant land and buildings, and we can establish our own housing funds, either through property dispositions or special revenue streams such as linkage dollars. We have done both in Boston, providing more than $30 million in housing funds from surplus property dispositions and millions more in linkage dollars.
GlobeSt.com: Your concern at the National Housing Forum went far beyond a single focus on affordable. If Congress accepts your proposals, what would you hope the forum will initiate in terms of public/private partnerships, the creation of private-developer incentives and changes in dispersals of tax incentives and HUD programs?
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John Salustri
John Salustri has covered the commercial real estate industry for nearly 25 years. He was the founding editor of GlobeSt.com, and is a four-time recipient of the Excellence in Journalism award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors.
