01:00 AM EST on Sunday, November 27, 2005

The long process of relieving the upward pressure on housing prices in Massachusetts received a small boost recently when Governor Romney signed legislation providing state reimbursement for the increased schooling costs of communities that accept new housing clusters under the state's "smart-growth" zoning law. This should remove one of the reasons that some communities use for opposing the creation of new housing -- or for increasingly common bans on children living in housing that does get approved.

This legislation is no magic bullet. Many people already living in nice, tree-lined towns will find other reasons for being against growth. But, especially in older cities that have seen their populations and tax bases decline, the state's assistance should be very important in helping to rebuild the middle class.

Cities such as Brockton, New Bedford, Lawrence, etc., need nothing so much as investment in housing starts. But the increased cost of public education has been a real practical impediment. In these places, the new legislation should remove what has amounted to a true Catch 22.

Markets turn up or down on the aggregate of small actions, good or bad. The new law will not of itself turn the housing market affordable. But it is good and should help.

. . . and Victorian

If you have a chance, look at the stunning main photo of The Journal's Nov. 17 Blackstone Valley section. A gracious Victorian house in Central Falls, set amid trees, grass and similar houses (a wrought-iron gate stands in the foreground), dominates the page; over it runs the words "Affordable Housing." This is an answer to Rhode Island's housing problem.

Instead of tearing down a historic structure that had been condemned, the new owners (the Chopoorian family, working with Realty Endeavors for Affordable Housing) restored the building to its original beauty and made it into four rental units for low-income working families. With an urgent need for housing for low- and moderate-income people, and an urgent need to preserve its architectural heritage in the face of sprawl, Rhode Island in this project wins twice. Developers take note!