Exclusionary Zoning Gave Us the Housing Crisis. MBTA Zoning Can Get Us Out
Restrictive zoning has locked many out of opportunity, with dire consequences for our communities and our environment.
Redfin Adds Zoning Data to Its Listings
Is your buyer in the mood to start a business from their soon-to-be-new home’s garage? Does their wish list include an accessory dwelling unit? Then make sure to check listings on Redfin, company executives say.
This Month in History: Boston Suburbs Start to Ban Triple-Deckers
Supporters hailed the Tenement House Act of 1912 as a way to stop the spread of working-class triple-decker homes as new transportation options opened the suburbs to
New Planning Chief Has Eye on Downtown
As he assumes the powers of Boston’s new planning czar, BPDA Director James Arthur Jemison II is paying special attention to the future of downtown zoning and managing a looming development boom in Charlestown.
Banker & Tradesman’s Editorial Cartoon: No-Fun Zoning
“Excuse me, but young children’s joy is specifically prohibited in the R-0 zone. That’s what the zero stands for.”
Zoning Board Vetoes Child’s New Treehouse
A New Hampshire zoning board of appeals has been called in to rule on a dispute over a treehouse in the tony seaside city of Portsmouth.
Can Upzoning Newton Catalyze Housing Equality in Greater Boston?
With the racial inequality now front and center, advocates in Newton are pushing for more diverse, denser housing to replace much of the region’s single-family stock as one way to help close the Black-white homeownership gap. But hurdles exist for the private sector to meet the need for lower-priced homes.
As Malls Evolve, So Must Zoning
Flexible zoning which can allow developers to quickly respond to market demands is not only critical to allow these retail centers to adapt and evolve, but also essential to help maintain a municipality’s tax base.
We Need Bold Leadership to Face Our Housing Crisis
It’s not clear that Boston’s leadership has yet to take into account how much of our city is at stake if we do not make bold changes in housing policy, now.
Regional Solutions to Solve Housing Crisis Should Be Considered
Boston is a world-class city with strong economic fundamentals that is now enjoying robust growth. But there is a housing crisis here, and we need to look at many different tools to fix the problem. Maybe it’s finally time to stop building one zoning decision at a time.
Boston ZBA Chair Warns Marijuana Blow-Up Could Put Hold on Development
A fight between the Boston City Council and Mayor Marty Walsh over appointments to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals could threaten the city’s humming pace of development.
Is Zoning Reform Dead?
With lawmakers on Beacon Hill once again dithering over the state budget and, having blown a deadline weeks ago with the arrival of the new fiscal year, things certainly aren’t looking great for zoning reform legislation. But some are optimistic a turning point is near.
Housing Mega-Investments Better Spent on Rezoning Push, Transit
Last week, Google announced to some acclaim it would spend $1 billion to build 15,000 market-rate and 5,000 affordable homes in the housing-starved San Francisco Bay area. Before any like-minded Massachusetts actors get a similar idea, we suggest a better use of that money would be helping efforts to modernize our mass transit and suburban zoning laws.
Landmark Report Shows State Needs Multifamily Zoning Requirements
A central, troubling theme emerges from the Dain report on Greater Boston multifamily land use policies: Land use decisions and plans in many towns and cities have a tenuous relationship with reality.
Report Details ‘Paper Wall’ of Zoning Blocking Multifamily Building in MA
A landmark report that, for the first time surveyed the 100 cities and towns surrounding Boston, details the many ways municipalities attempt to block or restrict multifamily housing.
Co-Living Projects Enter Uncharted Legal Territory in Boston
While the Boston market holds interest for co-living project operators, the city presents challenges from a regulatory perspective. Boston’s zoning code is complicated, with many neighborhoods, in effect, having their own zoning ordinances.
Approaching the Local Zoning Board
If you’ve got a question about zoning laws in Massachusetts or what to do before appearing in front of a local zoning board, Barry Crimmins is your man.
Plan JP/Rox Looks Like a Noble Failure
A plan intended to let one of Boston’s last affordable neighborhoods along the southern end of Washington Street and the Orange Line grow without displacing current residents instead created an incentive structure where developers can’t build the volume of affordable units needed to keep rents in check.
Five Easy Pieces to Fix the Housing Crisis
The Baker Administration recently introduced legislation to help address the commonwealth’s housing crisis. Although it appropriately identifies zoning reform as a priority, a key element is missing: specific focus on families with lowest incomes. Here are five additional pieces that could help.
The Great Salisbury Billboard Race
A Massachusetts regulation stating that no two digital billboards may be erected within 1,000 feet of one another set up a race between competing billboard companies that owned abutting land.
