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Look out, paraskevidekatriaphobians. Today is the first of three Friday the 13ths this year (a somewhat rare, if predictable, occurrence.) Even scarier, tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. But you still have time to order roses that help fund WBUR. Place your order by noon to get them delivered tomorrow almost anywhere in New England.
Now, to the news:
Stairway to havin’ (more housing): Gov. Maura Healey is considering a new move to address the state’s housing affordability crisis: stairway deregulation. Currently, Massachusetts’ building code generally requires two indoor exit staircases for buildings above three stories. It’s a rule that Healey said plays “an important role in ensuring safety,” but also makes it harder to build more of the mid-rise buildings that her office says is necessary to chip away at Massachusetts’ housing shortage. So yesterday, Healey signed an executive order to create a group to study allowing single-stair construction for certain residential buildings higher than three stories.
- The case for it: That additional staircase takes up a lot of interior space, limiting what developers can do on small pieces of land. ”This is certainly a constraint thing,” Jesse Kanson-Benanav, the executive director of the local advocacy group Abundant Housing, told WBUR’s Amy Sokolow. “Certain parcels … can’t handle multiple floors or units just because of the constraint that the current staircase code applies.” A 2024 study by Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies went deep into the weeds on the issue. They estimated that Greater Boston could build upwards of 130,000 new homes if single-stair construction was allowed for buildings up to six floors on nearly 5,000 underdeveloped small-to mid-sized parcels — like vacant lots and single-story shops.
- Wouldn’t that be more dangerous? Housing advocates don’t think so. A more recent report out of Minnesota suggested that the two-staircase rule isn’t a significant factor in safety. “There was a reason why these codes were implemented historically,” Kanson-Benanav said. “But times have changed. Materials and construction technology has changed.” Fire safety professionals are more cautious. The National Fire Protection Association hasn’t taken a stance on the change, but has stressed the need for an open process and “fully vetting the risks.” (In a statement to WBUR, the Quincy-based group thanked the Healey administration for inviting it to participate in the new study group.)
- Zoom out: Massachusetts wouldn’t be the first to relax the two-stair rule (which wasn’t a thing here until 1974). Tennessee, Montana and Connecticut have recently passed laws allowing single-stair buildings up to six stories, while New York City and Seattle have allowed them for decades. According to the Harvard report, the double-stair rule was never adopted for such buildings in Europe — and almost all of those countries have better fire safety records than the U.S.
- What’s next: Healey’s new study group will include a mix of housing officials, architects, fire professionals and accessibility advocates. Their report with recommendations is due within the next year.
Love lost: Local restaurants are gearing up for what’s often the busiest day after the post-holiday slump. The cold weather and New Year’s resolutions often make January and February the slowest months of the year for the industry. But as WBUR’s John Bender reports, the usual Valentine’s Day boost may be lessened this year due to the fact the holiday falls on a Saturday — since restaurants don’t get that mid-week boost. ”Saturday is going to be the busiest night in the restaurant industry anyway, so sometimes those sales kind of are replicating themselves,” said Steve Clark, the head of Massachusetts Restaurant Association.
- The silver lining: Clark says our recent frigid weather hasn’t had a major chilling effect; people are still going out. In fact, local restaurants are reporting a slight uptick in business over last January and February, perhaps helped by the Patriots’ deep playoff run and last month’s big snowstorm hitting on a Sunday. “I know that people wanted to get out before that storm,” Clark said.
- In other weather news: Meteorologist Danielle Noyes has a closer look at what’s shaping up as Boston’s coldest winter in a decade — and what’s coming next.
In Milan: American figure skater Maxim Naumov will be back on the ice today, following his heartstring-pulling debut earlier this week. The Norwood native, who finished 14th in the short program, will compete in the free skate this afternoon. He’s one of three Americans in the round, including medal favorite Ilia Malinin. You can watch live on Peacock or USA at 1 p.m. ET or the 8:30 p.m. ET re-air on NBC.
College closure: Milton’s Labouré College of Healthcare — home to the Boston area’s longest-running associate degree nursing program — is shutting down this summer. The school announced yesterday it will be absorbed by nearby Curry College under a the proposed deal that still needs state approval. Labouré nursing students would be allowed to transfer to Curry and complete their programs there.
On the Greenway: Boston Harbor Distillery is taking over the longtime Trillium Brewing beer garden space on Boston’s Rose Kennedy Greenway. The Greenway Conservancy revealed yesterday that the Dorchester-based distillery will open a new outdoor beer garden “beverage garden” with its whiskey, rum and gin-based cocktails this spring.
P.S.— New research from Mass General Brigham suggests ___ in moderation may lower the risk of dementia. Think you know the answer? Then take our Boston News Quiz and test your knowledge of the stories we covered this week.
