DEVELOPMENT UPDATES

Cambridge resident Patrick Barrett announced plans to renovate and convert 907 Main Street into a boutique hotel. Barrett expressed a desire to incorporate a residential component into the renovation, but ultimately zoning made it too difficult.

This is a real world example of how outdated and restrictive zoning has lead to the housing crisis we face today. Regarding the current zoning, Barrett said, “There are sections of the ordinance that make residential builds infinitely more difficult than hotel or commercial in business districts. I could go for a variance for relief, but some of the neighborhood groups are ruthless and would ultimately land me in Superior Court. I cannot afford to spend two years fighting a case I'd likely lose,” Barrett said. – Cambridge Chronicle

Cambridge released an online brochure on affordable housing programs and services available in the city.
A Long Standing Commitment to Affordable Housing

The city has made its Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Report available online. The report contains budgetary information and updates on city initiatives.
City of Cambridge

UPCOMING EVENTS

LINKS OF INTEREST

• Report: Market-Rate Housing Construction is a Weapon Against Displacement

• In Some Cities, The Housing Construction Boom is Starting to Pay Off

• What Many Don’t Get About Affordable Housing: Filtering

• Washington Post: The Poor Are Better Off When We Build Housing for the Rich

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the CDD the 2014 median market rate sales price of a single family home in Cambridge was $1,200,000, for a two family $937,000, and for a condominium $575,000.