Council to study allowing single-stair mid-rise residential buildings to unlock housing supply

Councilor Durkan filed a hearing order (docket 0474) asking the council to examine potential reforms to the Massachusetts State Building Code to allow single-stair mid-rise residential buildings in Boston. Sponsors framed the measure as a way to increase housing production, reduce construction costs, and permit better designs for family-sized units on smaller lots.

Durkan said the current two-stair requirement limits design flexibility, increases cost and reduces natural light and ventilation. She cited research (mentioned in chamber) estimating that permitting single-stair buildings on appropriately located parcels could unlock tens of thousands of homes across Greater Boston. The sponsor emphasized the proposal would not seek to compromise safety, noting studies that find no evidence of increased fire risk when single-stair designs are paired with modern fire-safety systems.

Councilors discussed coordinating with state-level studies: the governor had signed an executive order to study safe and affordable single-stair multifamily housing, and Durkan said this local conversation would build on that work to examine local fire prevention codes and neighborhood impacts.

What happens next: Docket 0474 was referred to the Committee on Housing and Community Development for a hearing that will gather fire-safety experts, building-code officials and developers.