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Massachusetts voters keep legal marijuana and gun law, add public records, as starter homes question hangs in balance

Nine questions covered records, voting, taxes, marijuana, guns and housing. Here is where each stands in AP results with about 80% of votes counted.

Politics

Voters approved several ballot questions yesterday that will affect how government operates in Massachusetts, covering public records, voter registration and conservation funding.

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News

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All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know

Keeping it all straight is tough. Here's what each question would do.

Bay State voters will face a record-tying <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nine statewide ballot questions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" data-vars-content-id="2e484781-cce3-4033-b808-bc69da9d3007" data-vars-headline="All 9 Mass. ballot questions in 4 minutes: What to know" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/10/26/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2026-november-election-beacon-hill-legislature-voters" target="_self">nine statewide ballot questions</a> Tuesday, covering elections, taxes, housing, marijuana, guns and government transparency.Why it matters: Keeping it all straight as you head into the voting booth is tough. Here&#x27;s what each question would do.

Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children's

The money will fund a pediatric mental health facility, nurse training and childhood disease research. Half comes from Rob and Karen Hale's earlier pledge.

The owners of the Celtics are giving $200 million to Boston Children&#x27;s Hospital, the largest gift in the hospital&#x27;s history.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="money from the Celts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" data-vars-content-id="037f6404-dfbd-4a53-b6b9-a735c29b62ac" data-vars-headline="Celtics owners give record $200M to Boston Children&#x27;s" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/celtics-owners-donation-boston-childrens-hospital/" target="_blank">money from the Celts</a> will fund a pediatric mental health center, research and nurse training at the region&#x27;s premier children&#x27;s hospital.

Question 7 would allow Mass. "starter homes" on smaller lots

Massachusetts' housing crisis shows no signs of abating.

Massachusetts voters will decide whether to override local laws to let single-family homes be built on lots as small as 5,000 square feet.Why it matters: Question 7 will test whether voters are willing to give up a degree of local control to help address the housing crisis.

How Wu's incentives to build housing work

Housing development has drastically slowed in Boston post-pandemic.

Boston&#x27;s tax breaks for new housing construction are one of five tools the city is considering to encourage development in a sluggish market, Mayor Michelle Wu told business leaders Wednesday.Why it matters: Housing development has slowed since the pandemic, due to higher materials costs, tariffs, interest rates and, developers say, the city&#x27;s affordable housing requirements.<ul><li>The Wu administration is considering drastically lowering its housing construction target from 13,000 in her first term to 3,000 annually in her second term, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boston Globe" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/08/business/michelle-wu-housing-plan/" data-vars-content-id="1e6ecc19-9a9b-4a5a-ab47-a2084e74fede" data-vars-headline="How Wu&#x27;s incentives to build housing work" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/09/08/business/michelle-wu-housing-plan/" target="_blank">Boston Globe</a> reported last week.</li></ul>

Downtown Boston office vacancies create opening for nonprofits

Downtown's vacancy rate is hovering just above 25%.

Development

Boston-area nonprofits are capitalizing on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="office vacancies" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/27/boston-area-office-vacancies-drop-slightly-in-q1-2026" data-vars-content-id="2d971e74-7dd4-4d7e-9f2a-72f474f558c6" data-vars-headline="Downtown Boston office vacancies create opening for nonprofits" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/27/boston-area-office-vacancies-drop-slightly-in-q1-2026" target="_self">office vacancies</a> downtown.Why it matters: Office vacancies and, in some cases, steeply discounted building sales have created an opening for nonprofits to buy or lease in a pricey real estate market.

First look: BizGrow Central, a hub for underserved entrepreneurs, to open downtown

BizGrow Central is set to open in October across the street from the Boston Common.

Business

The nonprofit Lawyers for Civil Rights plans to open a brick-and-mortar resource center for historically <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="underrepresented entrepreneurs" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/29/boston-cash-mobs-small-businesses" data-vars-content-id="e6065753-84f3-44f4-8dfa-ffbdbbe6ae15" data-vars-headline="First look: BizGrow Central, a hub for underserved entrepreneurs, to open downtown" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/01/29/boston-cash-mobs-small-businesses" target="_self">underrepresented entrepreneurs</a> across from the Boston Common in October.Why it matters: BizGrow has supported people of color, immigrants, women and low-income residents as they break into historically wealthy, white and male industries for a quarter century.<ul><li>Now they have a physical space downtown, alongside financial services giants and other power players in Boston.</li></ul>

Mass. single-family home sales dip in April

The drop is a consequence of the state's low inventory of homes for sale, per MAR.

Real Estate

Single-family home sales fell over 12% last month compared with April 2025, per the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.Why it matters: The drop in closed sales is a consequence of the state&#x27;s low inventory of available homes, says Kristen Keegan, MAR president.

Inside La Casa, the South End's new arts and community center

When it opens in May, La Casa will be the largest Latino performing arts center in New England.

When Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción&#x27;s arts center opens, it will host concerts, youth arts programming, workshops and maybe a quinceañera (a traditional 15th birthday celebration for Latinas).The big picture: La Casa, a $33 million project, will be the largest Latino arts center in New England.

Massachusetts housing market's spring thaw begins

Still, the total number of houses on the market remains lower than this time last year.

Massachusetts saw more new homes for sale listed last month, per data released Monday by the state&#x27;s real estate agents association.The intrigue: Listings and sales typically increase in the spring, but the increase comes amid persistent high interest rates and rising costs.

Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says

Mass. may see even slower housing construction in the next few years, while prices stay high.

Let&#x27;s start with the good news: Massachusetts has added nearly 98,000 new housing units in the past five years, including 71,000 in Greater Boston.<ul><li>The bad news: Permits for future house construction have dropped, and most renters can&#x27;t afford to buy a home here, per a new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Boston Foundation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2025/2025-gr-boston-housing-report-card-final-2025.pdf" data-vars-content-id="059e28db-432e-469d-8406-919460bfa663" data-vars-headline="Housing permits dip while prices remain high, report says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.tbf.org/-/media/tbf/reports-and-covers/2025/2025-gr-boston-housing-report-card-final-2025.pdf" target="_blank">Boston Foundation</a> report.</li></ul>

How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners

Nearly 15% of homes are at severe risk for extreme or severe wind damage.

Climate

Nearly 15% of homes in the Boston metro area face severe or extreme risk of hurricane wind damage, according to a Realtor.com <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="analysis" data-vars-click-url="https://www.realtor.com/research/climate-risk-2025/" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.realtor.com/research/climate-risk-2025/" target="_blank">analysis</a>.Why it matters: Climate change is intensifying extreme weather — hiking <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="home insurance" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/home-insurance-premiums-cost-map" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/home-insurance-premiums-cost-map" target="_self">home insurance</a> premiums in especially storm-prone areas and driving some insurers to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="retreat" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/home-insurance-policy-dropped-climate-risks" data-vars-content-id="04f439a6-b035-4d82-a2b1-98b10cb70367" data-vars-headline="How severe climate risks could hurt Boston metro area homeowners" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/home-insurance-policy-dropped-climate-risks" target="_self">retreat</a>.

Former Celtics owner's $11M Back Bay brownstone on the market

Stephen Pagliuca, former co-chairman of Bain Capital and until recently an owner of the Boston Celtics, has put the stunning 362 Marlborough Street on the market.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="single-family brownstone" data-vars-click-url="https://www.elliman.com/listing/362-marlborough-st-boston-ma-02115/17465816" data-vars-content-id="a883d5eb-4278-417e-9d6c-fa298a6b2ed0" data-vars-headline="Former Celtics owner&#x27;s $11M Back Bay brownstone on the market" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.elliman.com/listing/362-marlborough-st-boston-ma-02115/17465816" target="_blank">single-family brownstone</a> on one of Boston&#x27;s most prestigious blocks is a real showstopper and a peek into how the ultra-rich get by in Boston.

Real Estate 🏠

Question 7 would allow Mass. "starter homes" on smaller lots

How Wu's incentives to build housing work

Downtown Boston office vacancies create opening for nonprofits

First look: BizGrow Central, a hub for underserved entrepreneurs, to open downtown

Mass. single-family home sales dip in April