Boston, MA – New research from Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AMHA) projects that Roslindale’s Squares + Streets rezoning could result in as few as 300 new homes in the next decade under a minimal scenario, or as many as 1,700 under an abundance scenario. Likewise, AHMA projects Cleary Square could see 775 new homes from minimal rezoning, and 3,300 homes from abundance rezoning.
Total development from abundance rezoning could house more than 10,000 additional residents, providing sorely needed relief to Boston’s constrained housing supply.
AHMA’s projections are presented in accessible PDFs and an interactive online tool. The tool allows users to adjust assumptions and explore rezoning’s impacts on housing production, property tax revenue, and zoning nonconformance. AHMA prepared a detailed video walkthrough for navigating the PDFs and interactive tool. To promote discussion about the projections and future development more broadly, community members can connect with AHMA volunteers and each other by emailing rozzie-speaks@discuss.perci.app and cleary-speaks@discuss.perci.app.
How the projections are prepared
AHMA’s analysis identifies underutilized sites on lots larger than 6,000 sq. ft. that are vacant or have older, low-rise buildings, and assumes 25-33% of these sites will redevelop over 10 years.
The minimal rezoning scenario only studies the transformation of commercial areas into mixed-used districts. By applying the newly adopted S2 District, which permits buildings up to five stories, this could increase Roslindale’s housing stock by 2.5% and Hyde Park’s by 5.7%.
The abundance rezoning scenario explores the potential for mid-to-high density housing and mixed-use projects across the entire Squares + Streets study area. By applying a mix of S2 and S3 Districts, which permit buildings up to seven stories, this could increase Roslindale’s housing stock by 13.4% and Hyde Park’s by 24.4%.
More details on the methodology can be found in the PDFs and video walkthrough.
How to use the projections
AHMA has three goals in releasing these housing projections and accompanying tools:
- Education – AHMA wants to increase public understanding of how zoning actually translates into building more homes. The better people understand how this process works, the better the chances we can engage in collaborative community planning.
- Advocacy – AHMA supports the abundance rezoning scenario and believes Roslindale and Cleary Squares can thoughtfully introduce far more homes while maintaining existing residents’ quality of life.
- Framing the discussion – AHMA recognizes that the minimal rezoning scenario fails to adequately address the housing needs in Roslindale and Cleary Squares, but includes it as a plausible lower bound for community discussions.
In a statement, AHMA Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav underscores the organization’s support for the Squares + Streets initiative as an important incremental step to addressing the city’s home shortage:
“Mayor Wu has set a great vision for Boston to sustainably reach its peak population of 800,000 residents in the coming years. To get us there, Abundant Housing MA envisions Boston as a city of housing abundance, where homes are affordable to all. We stand unapologetically for increased housing production for residents of all income levels, and applaud the Mayor’s leadership in modernizing our zoning code. We are releasing these projections in order to strengthen stakeholders’ understanding of the positive impact that Squares + Streets and other zoning reforms can have on growing our communities.”
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