Overview
- Governor Maura Healey signed an executive order creating an advisory group to assess whether single-stair residential buildings above three stories should be allowed, and no code change has been enacted.
- The administration says removing one stairwell could free space for more apartments on small lots and improve project financing as Massachusetts targets 222,000 new homes by 2035.
- Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies identified 4,955 underused parcels near rapid transit and estimated up to 130,000 units if single-stair buildings up to six stories and 24 units are permitted.
- State Fire Marshal John Davine and the International Association of Fire Fighters oppose single-stair mid-rises, citing faster-burning furnishings and incidents where a secondary egress saved lives, including a Plainville arson that spared about 20 people.
- Healey’s team cites precedent in New York City and Seattle allowing single-stair buildings for decades, with Tennessee, Montana and Connecticut adopting similar allowances under specified safety conditions.