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Abundant Housing MA is invested in the future of Boston as the residential, economic, and cultural center of Massachusetts. Our policy agenda is designed to create a sustainable and resilient city where no one is priced out, and everyone from all walks of life are able to afford to rent or own a home where they choose to live.

We strongly believe that anyone regardless of: background, race, gender, sexuality, religion and any other identifier, deserves a safe space to call their own and live authentically in a way that creates joy and stability for each individual.

The Problem

Boston has some of the highest home prices in the country. Our overly complex zoning code and convoluted development processes make it extremely difficult to build the new homes we need to make Boston affordable. Because we have not built enough homes, we have a housing shortage, which leads to fierce competition, bidding wars, and ever increasing home prices. All this serves to make Boston a difficult place for longtime residents to be able to continue thriving here and for new families to plant roots.

Our Solutions

AHMA champions diverse abundant housing options for families and individuals at all income levels. We advocate for pro-housing policies and organize in partnership with the community, to make housing more affordable, strengthen communities and address the City’s housing shortage.

🚨 Action Alert! Boston City Council is conducting a hearing to remove parking minimums

The Boston City Council has scheduled a crucial hearing to explore amending the Boston Zoning Code to remove minimum parking requirements for new residential development.

The hearing is set to take place on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, at 2:00 PM.

Your Action is Needed!

LEARN MORE HERE

Housing Abundance Amendment

We strongly believe these key tenets will provide a pathway for a variety of housing options for all. We have created a Housing Abundance Amendment, which outlines a set of policies that will lead to more accessible housing for all Boston residents.

Boston-based AHMA members are invited to join our Boston Committee to advance our policy agenda in the City of Boston. To join our Boston Committee please email elvira@abundanthousingma.org.

Policy Priorities

Accessory Dwelling Units

In her 2024 State of the City Address, Mayor Michelle Wu announced that it was a priority of her administration to make it easier to build an ADU in Boston. Since then, the State Legislature took separate action and legalized ADUs by-right statewide in the landmark Affordable Homes Act. However, that part of the bill DOES NOT apply to the City of Boston. This means that the broad legalization and liberalization of ADU regulations that is being rolled out over the next year will not impact Boston. Instead, most Boston residents are still subject to the rules promulgated in a 2019 zoning amendment that only allow for ADUs in narrowly defined circumstances. To learn more about AHMA’s ADU campaign click here.

Parking Minimums

Eliminate parking minimums for residential uses citywide

Reduce rents and home prices by eliminating parking minimums for all housing projects within the City of Boston. Following the lead of cities like Buffalo, Minneapolis, San Francisco, Sacramento, San Jose, Austin, South Bend, Richmond, Raleigh, and Cambridge, we propose the elimination of parking minimums citywide to reduce housing costs and promote low-carbon lifestyles.

Squares and Streets

When housing is scarce, we are all forced into bidding wars for the few homes available–for rent, or for sale. Due to the income inequality in the City of Boston, rising rent costs are forcing longtime BIPOC residents to be displaced out of the city and move into more affordable cities and towns. The impacts of housing scarcity are plain to see in the City of Boston: homeowner vacancy below 1% and rental vacancy of approximately 2%, high rents, and ever-escalating shares of Bostonians paying more than 30% of their income in rent.

We applaud the Mayor and the City of Boston for launching the Squares and Streets zoning effort. Modernizing our zoning code with reforms that reduce the need for variances while enhancing simplicity and predictability are long overdue and should be implemented without delay. To read more about AHMA’s initiatives with Squares and Streets click here.

Article 80 Modernization

Development review in the city of Boston is currently a lengthy and unpredictable process. Additionally, when paired with an outdated and broken zoning code, it actively creates barriers for a more abundant city.

Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code, which sets guidelines for larger development projects across the city, has not been updated since 1996. The Article 80 Modernization process is the Planning Department’s effort to update the developmental review process into a process that is transparent, accessible and predictable.

As the Article 80 Modernization process is ongoing, we’re counting on AHMA’s Boston based members to ensure pro-housing voices are heard. To learn more click here.

November 24, 2025

Action Alert The City of Boston