Housing

CITY OF CAMBRIDGE

KSA recognizes the need for more housing, and the City of Cambridge is actively seeking to facilitate the construction of more housing that people can afford.  In 2020, the City Council adopted the 100% Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO), which was designed to facilitate the creation of new, permanently affordable homes by affordable housing developers. The AHO allows for the construction of denser affordable housing than permitted under base zoning and establishes a streamlined review process for quicker project approval. The AHO addresses challenges faced by affordable housing developers, and the AHO‘s aim is to reduce development costs, expedite the creation of affordable units, and optimize the use of public funding. (AHO)

Currently, the Cambridge City Council is in the midst of debating zoning reforms that could increase housing in Cambridge by allowing four to six story zoning citywide with a vote expected in February 2025. 

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

KSA supports statewide efforts to increase housing. In 2024, the Massachusetts Legislature enacted a $5.16B housing bill, the MA Affordable Homes Act, which includes provisions for:

  1. Capital Outlay Program to rehab, produce, and modernize state-aided public housing developments and to support homeownership and rental housing opportunities for low and moderate-income citizens.
  2. Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) to permit additional spaces or structures in single-family zoning districts.
  3. Decarbonization and Sustainability provisions prioritizing projects that comply with decarbonization and sustainability standards.
  4. Additional Funding Allocations for various purposes, including $50M for early education and out-of-school time capital funds, $60M for accessibility modifications, $70M for community-based housing for individuals with mental illness and intellectual disabilities, and more.

The MBTA Communities Act, enacted in 2021, is intended to address critical housing shortages by requiring all MBTA communities to have at least one district in which multifamily housing is permitted as of right.  MBTA communities are defined as those which host or abut MBTA services. There are 177 MBTA Communities, and many are complying with the Act.  A handful of communities are not complying and are subject to enforcement actions by the AG, as the MA Supreme Judicial Court recently affirmed the AG’s enforcement authority. The SJC ordered the re-issuance of the accompanying regulations, on procedural grounds.

Our Massachusetts Coalition, which seeks to increase housing and solidify a more inclusive, accessible, and affordable Massachusetts, counts KSA Executive Director Beth O’Neill Maloney as a co-chair.