Residents who buy into cooperatives in Boston’s most upscale neighborhoods may have the money to purchase some of the finer homes in the city, but their status should not give them the right they have under Massachusetts law to choose their neighbors, according to a bill presented at the State House yesterday.
Reps. Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Charlie Murphy (D-Burlington) and Steven Walsh (D-Lynn) said their bill would curb housing discrimination by outlawing cooperative living arrangements, a situation in which a group of shareholders own one or more residential buildings and often live in one of the units.
“Discrimination is still discrimination,” Walsh said. “We as a society should not allow it.”
The bill was prompted by the complaints of wealthy local entrepreneur John Walsh, who said a cooperative housing board acted inappropriately when it rejected his application in April 2006 to purchase an expensive home on Beacon Street in the elite Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Last November, Walsh sued the board for discrimination against his family and for interfering with the process of purchasing the condominium.
“My wife asked me [earlier this year] why we would want to be here if people don’t want us,” Walsh told The Daily Free Press. Walsh, who said he came from humble beginnings, said he remembered telling her that they were raised to work hard for what they wanted.
“Unfortunately, co-op boards can deny you for any reason whatsoever, as long as you can not prove they denied you due to age, race or sex,” said Joshua Golden of the luxury real estate-focused LuxBeat. “If they feel you looked at them the wrong way, they can say they felt threatened by you and they do not feel you would fit in with the ‘community.'”
However, supporters of co-ops argue owners have the right to decide who lives in their buildings.
“I don’t see anything wrong with what the board did,” said John Keith, a local real estate agent, about the Walsh decision. “I have no idea why they’re being so snobby, but it’s their decision.
“The little guy in this story is a wealthy businessman looking to buy on Beacon Hill,” Keith added. “Can we really sympathize with either side?”