Allowing Multifamily Housing Citywide

Map of Cambridge base zoning
The City Council has 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. Discussions with the Planning Board are anticipated in 2022. See below for additional information.

The City Council Housing Committee will discuss this topic on September 13, 2022.

The Planning Board will discuss zoning principles and concepts on March 15, 2022.

The Planning Board will discuss Envision Cambridge planning goals and actions on January 18, 2022.

The Planning Board held an initial discussion on January 4, 2022. 

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 has been 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.