IntelligentCicada363 t1_j8nk7xe wrote on February 15, 2023 at 4:58 PM

Reply to comment by SnooMaps7887 in Most towns are going along with the state’s new multifamily housing law. Not Middleborough. by TouchDownBurrito

Yes, but grading the greater Boston area on a curve like that is a poor idea.

There is so much low hanging fruit in Cambridge for completely inoffensive upzoning (3-5 stories by right) that would maintain the city's character and provide thousands upon thousands more homes.

SnooMaps7887 t1_j8nn7ly wrote on February 15, 2023 at 5:17 PM

Sure, I agree in principal and fortunately there has been a lot of talk in the city about upzoning.

I just don't think that many of the cities north of the Charles are "particularly egregious"; to me that title should be pointed toward the cities and neighborhoods to the west and south that have always resisted upzoning.

Also, those 6000 sq. ft minimum lots make up .7% of the Cambridge's dwelling units.

IntelligentCicada363 t1_j8nr1wh wrote on February 15, 2023 at 5:42 PM

They make up .7% of the dwelling units because there are so few of them, because of the zoning laws. Cambridge is only ~6.4 square miles. That area is not trivial in the slightest.

SnooMaps7887 t1_j8o4c3h wrote on February 15, 2023 at 7:08 PM

Ok, they still only make up 3% of the city's land mass. Compare to Newton where a Globe article noted that 80% of residential lots (almost 10,000 of them) within a half mile of the MBTA Express Bus service are zoned for single-family use.

Again, I think we agree, I just feel like the biggest impact can come from the communities that have not done their part to date.