Cambridge Explores Major Zoning Changes to Add Housing

The housing crunch in coastal cities is spurring another one to consider a big change to its zoning code.

The Cambridge City Council is considering a measure that would eliminate single-family-only zoning, the Boston Business Journal reported. A committee of council members met on Wednesday to discuss a wide-ranging proposal.

The proposal would allow multifamily housing to be built across the Massachusetts city, including in areas now zoned for only single-family use. It would also allow developers to build larger projects if they include affordable units. One such incentive would be to allow six-story residential buildings if enough income-restricted units were included.

New York City has long had such an incentive, but developers rarely chose it, prompting the city in 2016 to make affordable housing mandatory in upzoned areas.

Other steps being considered by the Cambridge council include standardizing minimum-lot dimensions and changing requirements for street setbacks. The proposal is in the early stages, as specific language and details need to be incorporated.

Advocates across the country have pushed for alternatives to single-family zoning, with some success. But the process is tedious because localities typically control their land-use policy and residents of single-family neighborhoods oppose changes.

Economists say allowing more housing improves affordability and diversity, which are among the reasons local homeowners tend to be against the idea.

Three years ago, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman introduced a bill that would allow multifamily construction on almost all residential lots, eliminate parking requirements in cities and villages, and stop larger localities from requiring huge lot sizes for homes. It didn’t go very far.

In the metro Boston area, more than 40 percent of cities and towns are zoned for single-family, according to the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston.

Officials in Cambridge have been looking for ways to improve the city’s housing situation for years. In October, the City Council passed changes to Cambridge’s affordable housing law. Projects that are entirely affordable can be built up to 15 stories in the city’s major squares and 12 stories on major corridors, according to the update.

— Holden Walter-Warner