Mayor Wu today announced a proposal to open up empty commercial space downtown to residential use by offering 75% off standard residential tax rates for up to 29 years for building owners - and by setting up a new office to speed conversions through the city's normal development approval process. Read more.
Adding in higher priced housing also decreases the pressure on affordable housing.
If there’s 500 affordable units and 500 luxury units with 1000 people higher income housing seekers you’re going to see those 1000 people rent/buy all of the luxury units and all of the affordable units. In that scenario, adding 500 luxury units will remove the higher-income pressure on the existing affordable units.
Boston needs so much housing that this will not be a panacea anyway, but I think we’d be surprised at the relative (though not absolute, due to aforementioned) efficacy of that 20% requirement.