New England has a housing crisis as a result of the economic prosperity this region has enjoyed over the past decade. While many New England residents have seen the value of their real estate increase, a great number can no longer afford to pay the rising cost of housing and find, as home prices and interest rates rise, that purchasing a home is an impossibility. The lack of affordable housing is not only preventing many from remaining in their home towns, but it is also causing industry to leave New England, since its labor pool can no longer afford to live here. Municipal reactions to the need have varied from community to community. Most of us are familiar