Last in a series. CITIES AND TOWNS of Greater Boston have a long history of using zoning to restrict development of multi-family housing that might accommodate families with children. The systematic restrictions have disadvantaged multi-generational households seeking homes in condo or apartment buildings. The restrictions have also undermined the housing market’s dynamism and its ability to meet […]
Amy Dain
Posted inOpinion
Where should new multi-family housing go?
WHERE SHOULD new multifamily housing go? This is a fundamental question facing 175 communities across eastern Massachusetts as they work to implement a new law intended to address the region’s housing shortage. The MBTA Communities law requires cities and towns served by Greater Boston’s public transit agency, the MBTA, to enact zoning that allows multifamily housing near […]
Posted inOpinion
Seeking predictable permitting for new housing
Third in a five-part series. IF YOU LIVE in an affluent suburb of Boston, your municipality is probably not using as-of-right zoning to permit construction of apartments or condos. If your community is served by the MBTA, then the Massachusetts state Legislature has mandated that your municipality zone for multi-family housing as-of-right. The clock is […]
Posted inOpinion
Solving the MBTA Communities zoning puzzle
IN 2021, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts adopted the MBTA Communities zoning law requiring municipalities served by the MBTA to zone districts “of reasonable size” for multi-family housing at a “gross density” of 15 dwelling units per acre. The law applies to 175 cities and towns. Some may already have zoning that meets the requirements. For most of […]
Posted inOpinion
What the MBTA Communities law means for your town
First of a five-part series. THERE IS A NEW concept in zoning, invented this year by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In promulgated guidelines, the concept has been dubbed “minimum multi-family unit capacity.” I refer to the concept as “zoning capacity.” If you live in a community served by the MBTA, the concept may soon animate […]
Posted inOpinion
In praise of downtowns, Main Streets
COMING FROM NEWTON I should have known that Greater Boston has hundreds of wonderful little downtowns and village centers, the hearts of walkable neighborhoods. Newton itself has 13 villages. I grew up walking to downtown Newtonville for blue slush puppies and books at the branch library, now a senior center. In my 30s, I lived […]
Posted inOpinion
Building a city center serving six cities
QUICK QUIZ: What is the biggest growth district in Massachusetts outside of the city of Boston right now? Did you guess Kendall Square? Cambridge Crossing? Somerville’s Union Square? Watertown’s Arsenal Street? Quincy Center? Lynn’s waterfront? Revere Beach? Woburn’s Commerce Way? Waltham along Route 128? By my read, it is a place without an identity or […]
Posted inOpinion
Route 128 needs land use leadership
THERE HAS BEEN A LOT of press about Greater Boston’s housing shortage and growth pains. The suburbs are over-restricting development, home prices are escalating, and traffic is still stealing family dinners and putting jobs at risk. What has garnered less attention is Greater Boston’s plan for growth — what the plan is, and what it […]
Posted inOpinion
Give accessory apartments a shot
FOR DECADES, housing experts and planners have been advocating for cities and towns to allow for the owners of single family houses to add accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to their properties. The recommendation has been listed in most master plans and housing plans, going back decades. Yet only 37 out of 100 cities and towns […]
Posted inTransportation
Moving on from car-as-king development
THE DESIGN DILEMMA for America’s current generation of city builders is what to do about cars, and in particular parking. Our most beloved places were built before cars became the common person’s primary means for autonomy and travel. Yet reversion to car-free design, which makes sense to reduce auto emissions and combat climate change, is […]