Zoning for Multifamily Housing

On February 10, 2025, the Cambridge City Council voted to adopt two zoning petitions to allow multifamily housing citywide. The goals of the zoning changes were to:

  • Allow multifamily housing in all neighborhoods in Cambridge.

  • Promote the creation of more housing, with a focus on income-restricted affordable housing through the city’s inclusionary housing program.

  • Remove some requirements that make it more difficult to build multifamily housing, such as minimum lot sizes, limits of the number of housing units, and on the amount of floor area.

The amendments to the zoning code include the following changes:

  • Residential neighborhoods in different parts of the city, some of which used to have more restrictive zoning rules than others, now have the same “Residence C-1” zoning (see map).

  • Residence C-1 allows residential building heights up to four stories, or up to six stories if the project meets inclusionary housing requirements (20% affordable) and the lot size is at least 5,000 square feet. A meeting with neighbors is required for a building of four or more stories.

  • Zoning no longer sets a minimum lot size, maximum number of units, or maximum amount of floor area for housing. Setback requirements are reduced (different requirements apply in different districts), and open space requirements apply including Green Factor standards for new buildings.

The adopted amendments are effective as of February 10, 2025 and are now incorporated into the Zoning Ordinance on Municode. The new zoning map is below: 

CDD is working on Design Guidelines for Multifamily Housing. You can view a draft of the guidelines here.

Past Meetings

February 2025

February 10: City Council, Regular Meeting

February 3: City Council, Regular Meeting

January 2025

January 27: City Council, Regular Meeting

January 17: City Council, Regular Meeting

January 16: City Council, Ordinance Committee

January 8: City Council, Ordinance Committee

December 2024

 

December 19: City Council, Ordinance Committee

December 17: Planning Board
    December 4: City Council, Ordinance Committee
    December 3: Community Information Session

    November 2024

    November 19: Planning Board

    November 19: City Council, Ordinance Committee

    November 12: Planning Board

    October 2024

    October 31: City Council, Economic Development and University Relations Committee Meeting

    October 29: Community Open House

    October 24: Community Information Session

    August 2024

    August 21: Housing Committee Meeting

    June 2024

    June 27: Housing Committee Meeting

    May 2024

    May 8: Housing Committee Meeting

    March 2024

    In March 2024, the City Council passed Policy Order 2024 #37, which asked the Community Development Department “to work with the chairs of the Housing Committee to create zoning language that effectively promotes multifamily housing, including income-restricted affordable housing with the goal of having viable housing for everyone especially lower-income residents.”

    September 2022

    City Council Housing Committee on September 13, 2022.

    March 2022

    Planning Board on March 15, 2022.

    January 2022

    Planning Board on January 4, 2022. 

    Planning Board on January 18, 2022.

    February - August 2021

    In 2021, the City Council's Neighborhood and Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee and Housing Committee held public hearings to discuss the elimination of single and two-family only zoning and restrictions on the type of housing that can be built city-wide.

    The City Council and Planning Board also considered this topic in the context of two zoning petitions that were proposed by groups of Cambridge residents:

    Neither of the above petitions was acted upon, but as a result of the latter petition, the City Council asked the Community Development Department to work with the Planning Board to develop concepts and principles to eliminate single family and two family only zones in the City of Cambridge. The Planning Board met in 2022 and delivered a report to the City Council, which was discussed by the Housing Committee,

     

     

     

     

     

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