Update 1/4/2025
Edited to clarify: Jan 8 is the last chance for live public comment before the Ordinance Committee finalizes amendments Jan 16, and emails should be sent before Jan 16 and Feb 10 to maximize impact.
Also, the initial full city council public comment is Jan 27, not Jan 22 as previously stated.
Everyone should be able to afford safe, high-quality housing close to their job. In Cambridge, a century of restrictive zoning policy has put that dream out of reach for most families. The city council is working on a proposal to allow more multifamily housing and move away from Cambridge’s exclusionary past.
On December 18, the city council advanced a compromise version of the multifamily housing ordinance. The most important change limits 5 and 6-story buildings to projects with 20% affordable units on lots over 5000 sq ft (Cambridge Day). The compromise proposal will still produce lots of much needed housing and will end a century of exclusionary zoning.
Over the next month, the council will meet to consider further amendments to the proposal, and ultimately decide whether to adopt or reject it. There are three more opportunities for public comment, and showing your support can really make a difference.
Wed Jan 8, 5 PM (last public comment before Ordinance Committee finalizes amendments Jan 16)
Mon. Jan 27, 5:30 PM (Final approval, 1st vote)
Mon. Feb 10, 5:30 PM (Final approval, 2nd vote)
Comments are limited to 1-2 minutes depending on the number of people at the meeting. You can comment on zoom or in person at City Hall (on Mass Ave between Harvard and Central, roughly a 15 minute walk from Harvard Yard). You’ll be given a queue number so you know roughly when to show up. Sign up at the city’s website here.
If you can’t give live public comment, you can also email the city councilors at council@cambridgema.gov, and cc. clerk@cambridgema.gov. Email before Jan 16 (amendments finalized) and also before Feb 10 (final vote) to maximize impact.
Finally, if you haven’t already, please sign the petition here.
Emails and comments don’t need to be long or in-depth! Simply state your name and address (if you’re a student, your dorm’s street address), and talk briefly about why you support the proposal and why housing affordability matters to you.
Here’s an example email:
Subject: Please support multifamily housing
Dear City Council Members, I am writing to express my strong support for policies that would increase housing options in our city. Our community is experiencing rising rents and home prices that are making it increasingly difficult for residents to find affordable housing. I urge you to approve the measure that would allow for more housing construction, including multi-family developments and higher-density zoning, without additional amendments. This would help ease our housing shortage and make our city more accessible to people of all income levels. Thank you for your hard work on this vital issue. Sincerely, [Your name and address]
For more ideas, see this doc from Councilor Azeem’s office and check out the below details and poster!
Contact us with any questions or if you want help with your comment! team@huusl.org
More details
What does this amended proposal actually do?
Zoning can be confusing, but it plays a very important role in shaping cities. For the last century, Cambridge has implemented exclusionary zoning, which is near-universal in the United States (City of Cambridge). Exclusionary zoning is a policy rooted in racial and class discrimination which bans construction of multifamily housing in certain areas in order to exclude people deemed undesirable (poor people and racial minorities). Exclusionary zoning has contributed to continued residential segregation by race and class and fueled the housing crisis (Biden administration blog post).
This proposal charts a different course for Cambridge. Let’s walk through the major changes.
The below images are from a presentation by city staff on the original ordinance and a presentation by A Better Cambridge (a housing advocacy group) on how zoning limits housing options. These provide detailed explanations and examples if you want to learn more! Check out the poster below for more links.
Consolidates the current A-1, A-2, B, C, and C-1 zones (which are the most restrictive residential zoning districts and make up most of the city’s land) into one new zoning district with modified requirements.
Allows buildings of up to 4 stories on any lot throughout the city, with a 2 story bonus for buildings with 20% affordable units on lots over 5000 sq ft. This ends the complex system of residential zones which bans construction of multifamily housing in the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods (A-1 and A-2 only allow single-family, and B only allows single family, two-family, and townhouse).
Eliminates floor area ratio (FAR) maximums. FAR is the ratio of a building’s usable floor area to its lot size (the area of the land the building sits on). Low FAR maximums can severely restrict the amount of housing allowed on a lot, even where it is technically allowed by law.
Eliminates minimum lot area per dwelling unit restrictions. These cap the number of homes allowed on a site based on the lot size of the site, and are quite restrictive.
Simplifies open space requirements, which require some percentage of the lot to be “open,” i.e. not built on. The current restrictions are very complex. The new open space requirement simply requires 30% open space on a given lot.
Reduces setback requirements, which set a minimum distance between a building and the edge of its lot. These are also quite complicated, limit the amount of homes on a lot, and encourage “tower in a park” style development that doesn’t interface effectively with the street.
Removes the special permit requirement for developments under 75,000 sq ft of floor area. Currently, most multifamily developments must be approved by the Planning Board via a lengthy process. This introduces increased time, cost, and unpredictability for small housing developments (UCLA study). The BU Housing Politics Lab has analyzed housing approval meetings across the greater Boston area. They found that residents who attend public comment are significantly more likely to oppose new housing than their communities as a whole. They are also older, whiter, maler, and more likely to be homeowners.
City staff estimate the new policy will allow about 4500 net new units by 2040, with 920 restricted to low or moderate-income households. (This doesn’t take into account the 5000 sq ft minimum lot size amendment, that estimate will likely be shared at the Jan 8 meeting).
