Cambridge Ditches Exclusionary Single-Family Zoning

In what could prove to be a defining moment for the YIMBY movement, a major Massachusetts city is doing away with a zoning code that keeps multifamily properties at bay.

The Cambridge City Council voted this week to end exclusionary single-family zoning in the city, Boston.com reported. The move could allow buildings up to six stories tall to be built in every part of the city, home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

There was only one holdout in the vote. Councilor Catherine Zusy expressed concern developers could take advantage of the changes to produce largely luxury homes and buildings, threatening to displace long-time residents.

The rezoning doesn’t mean single-family homes can’t be built in Cambridge. Instead, it means that there are no parts of the city where only single-family homes can be built.

On top of scrapped minimum parking requirements, the rezoning also changed the requirements around lot size, unit count, floor-by-area ratios and special permits for buildings under 75,000 square feet.

Negotiations over the zoning amendment did remove some of the oomph. Six-story buildings were initially going to be allowed anywhere as-of-right, but that was reduced to only include four-story buildings. To go up to five and six stories, developers will need a minimum lot size of 5,000 square feet.

Additionally, every building with at least 10 units will need to be at least 20 percent affordable, regardless of size.

The change could lead to a massive influx in housing units for the city. In the next 15 years, the city was expected to add 350 units under the old zoning rules, according to estimates from the Community Development Department. The zoning change could lead to more than 4,800 units added over that same timeframe.

Economists believe allowing more housing improves affordability and diversity, which are among the reasons local homeowners tend to push against it.

Cambridge is the most expensive city in Massachusetts for renters, sporting a median rent of $2,900 for a one-bedroom apartment.

— Holden Walter-Warner