Ending single-family zoning among key recommendations in housing crisis report MABA MassachusettsRealEstate FirstTimeHomeBuyers MaBuyerAgent

 A new report recommending ways to address the Massachusetts housing crisis includes the possibility of eliminating single-family zoning across the state. The recommendations are part of a report released by the Unlocking Housing Production Commission, which was established by Gov. Maura Healey in October 2023. The sixteen member commission was charged with making recommendations on how to revise state and local laws and regulations to increase the supply of affordable housing “across a wide range of incomes and available throughout a broad spectrum of neighborhoods.”

 The report includes several policy recommendations in four major focus areas: update the state’s housing policies, lower production costs, boost housing supply and promote sustainable, equitable growth. Further, the recommendations have four themes: economic incentives and workforce development; land use and zoning; regulations, codes and permitting; and statewide planning and local coordination. Among the recommendations is modernizing the state’s zoning framework to allow for broader housing options, including possibly eliminating single-family zoning statewide. This would allow two-family homes on all residential lots and four-family homes on all residential lots with existing water and sewer infrastructure.

 Earlier this month, the Cambridge city council eliminated single-family zoning, ending exclusionary zoning in the city. The council’s eight to one vote paves the way for the development of multifamily housing in all neighborhoods. Cambridge is the first city in the state to eliminate single-family zoning and now it looks like the state may be taking a page from its book.

 The difference between the commission’s recommendation and the rezoning in Cambridge is that the statewide recommendation is to allow two- and four-family homes. Cambridge’s new zoning allows for multifamily housing citywide and for the construction of six- and four-story buildings. The original proposal called for six-story buildings throughout the city, but that was changed following pushback from residents. Currently, two-family homes are not permitted by right and require discretionary approval even in residential zoned areas.

 “This change would dramatically expand the number of buildable units across the Commonwealth, complementing recent zoning reforms such as the accessory dwelling unit provision in the Affordable Homes Act and the MBTA Communities Act’s multifamily zoning requirement,” the report said. “Importantly, this recommendation does not mandate multifamily construction but removes unnecessary zoning barriers, ensuring that two-, three- and four-unit dwellings can be built without requiring variances or discretionary review.”

 The report also recommends requiring all municipalities to create multifamily zoning districts and notes that the MBTA Communities Act set a “strong precedent” requiring multi-family zoning in more than half of the state’s cities and towns. Signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2021, the MBTA Communities Act requires municipalities served by the MBTA to have at least one “reasonably sized district where multifamily housing can be built.” The law aims to tackle the state’s housing crisis by promoting the development of more multifamily housing and mandates that such housing must be suitable for families with children and cannot be age-restricted.

Other recommendations in the report include:

Eliminating the minimum residential lot sizes across the state, which the commission said will allow for the building of single- and multi-family buildings on any lots in a residential zoned area. It would also allow for splitting and merging lots and building on substandard lots.

 Strengthening the state’s Chapter 40B comprehensive permit law by streamlining the appeals process, increasing housing stock-count frequency and updates to the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) and removing the subsidy requirement for projects and offering major incentives for high-SHI communities. 

 Eliminating parking minimums statewide for any residential use and requiring cities and towns to establish “transportation demand management requirements” as a prerequisite for permitting off-street parking in new housing developments and major renovations, as well as offering technical support to help communities implement the change.

The post Ending single-family zoning among key recommendations in housing crisis report appeared first on Boston Agent Magazine.

FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS