Salem Mayor Calls For 2.2K New Housing Units Over Next Decade

SALEM, MA — Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo called for zoning changes, expedited development reviews and project pursuits involving city-owned vacant land to help produce more than 2,000 new units of housing as a centerpiece of his State of the City address to the City Council on Monday night.

Pangallo said one study showed that 2,200 units of new housing are needed to stabilize prices in the city and set achieving that number as a goal to help make the Witch City more affordable for those who work there and already live there.

"That sounds like a lot," Pangallo said. "But we've done it before. That's around the same number of new housing units built in Salem in the 1970s, and around the same number built in the 1980s. If Salem of the 1970s and 1980s could achieve that benchmark, surely we can meet the moment now."

"The price to pay if we don't take positive action on this is very real."

He said that over the past five years for every dollar that incomes went up in Salem home prices went up by nine dollars and cited the 950 applications for a recently completed 39-unit affordable housing building as an example of how Salem is not providing the supply to meet demand in the housing market.

"We're taking these steps, not in despair, but because we're optimistic about the future of our city," he said of the proposed zoning and development changes. "In the year ahead we see challenges, but also possibilities."

Pangallo said those changes will also include the new Salem High School project that he called "a transformative opportunity for our community to leverage state funding and create a new school facility that will better serve Salem kids for decades to come."

Pangallo said the city has always been one where residents have supported their most vulnerable neighbors and that will continue during his administration.

"Salem is, and has been, a place where we love and lift up our neighbors — no matter your means or where you come from, how long you've lived here, the language you speak, who you love, how you identify, your age, or your ability," he said. "We're a stronger, better city because of that."

He concluded: "Our commitment is for Salem to be a beacon — a city that works for and welcomes all. And that commitment is unwavering, no matter the tides.

"We know that far too many in Salem struggle to pay their bills, to afford the rising cost of basics like food and housing, or to save for the future. We're working to bring down the cost of living in Salem and to protect our economy, our workforce, and our community."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)