Public Housing Done Right
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What Do Residents of Affordable Housing WANT TO SEE in their Housing? (1.9.2025): Cambridge Housing Authority Survey results in slides of 1/9/25 resident meeting: Corcoran Park Modernization Project: HERE
- Residents preference: low-rise, townhouse configuration with individual entrances
- Residents do not like 6 stories, prefer 3 stories
- Residents want high ration of parking to units, approaching 1:1 (In this case, design will be .81. parking spaces to units)
- Residents preference for patios (private open space) over parks
- Residents preference for parking over trees
Four Public Housing (Subsidized Housing) Projects Now in Play
The Issues...
It is important that the city support public housing (subsidized housing) sometimes mislabeled “affordable housing,” a somewhat cynical and hypocritical term. In Cambridge this housing is not intended to house the very poor; and, the units cost circa $1,000,000 each to build (far higher than market rate “luxury” housing, making the "affordable" label complicated .
As a city we also must embrace the real: 6 and 7 story buildings on Mass Ave. are generally a good idea. We should incorporate gentle density increases through mid-rises for public housing. Lower- and median-income families want to live in places that resemble others in the neighborhood, and no one wants to be singled out for living in the “affordable” hi-rise. The city needs a new plan wherein they buy the land, then lease it to the developer for a certain period, with the city maintaining street level use, and leases it to retail to help pay the costs.
With the passage of the Affordable Housing Ordinances (AHO 1.0 and AHO 2.0) the city is enabling the creation of far larger (and far denser) public housing developments that are out of scale and visual complementarity with nearby neighborhood housing, with no requirements for green space, without the necessary building setbacks for neighborhood fit, and no required parking, adding to neighborhood parking difficulties already in place.
Public Housing is Important
And Cambridge has been effective in building large numbers of public housing units. We must now make a commitment to create public housing in a smart and sustainable way. We must also set a reasonable goal number, and revise/expand design criteria so that our public housing projects fit into existing neighborhoods and have adequate parking and green spaces.
Cambridge has already far surpassed state public housing goals or other Boston area public housing initiatives, despite our high density, high land valuation, and greatly diminished size. Cambridge is in top 10 most dense cities in the U.S. with a population over 100,00, yet Cambridge is far smaller (at 6.6 square miles) than most other dense cities such as Austin, Texas (305 square miles), Boston MA (48.4 square miles), and San Francisco (46.9 square miles). Among the Public Housing projects now in play (or recently so) are 4 Mellen St. and neighbor 30 Wendell St. as well as 2072 Mass Ave. and Walden Square.
How Many People are we talking about that are looking for subsidized housing now in Cambridge? Cambridge public housing includes both for-profit and non-profit developers and management companies. The city has not provided adequate information on the total numbers of unique Cambridge residents ion our waitlists across the various for-profit and non-profit platforms. The data point for Cambridge residents AND employees appears to be about : How many of the people on the Walden Square wait list are Cambridge residents?
A: As of June 21, 2023, there were 1,128 households on the waitlist and approximately one in five (20%) have a Cambridge address.
Questions of Neighborhood Fit and Distribution
Since the AHO ordinance went into effect, a number of new public housing projects have been in the works, but the city has yet to state how many such units are enough. We already have greatly surpassed state "affordable" (public) housing requirements, and all of our neighboring towns and cities, despite our small 6 mile footprint and existing density. In addition new AHO projects are not being equitably distributed around the city as was promised in the AHO ordinance. The Baldwin neighborhood currently is being disproportionately targeted with two large AHO structures within the works within a block of each other that will transform the neighborhood housing scale and demographics and make parking an even greater issue for current residents and new tenants alike. Architect and former Councillor Dennis Carlone voted no on the AHO for design and other reasons, as he lays out HERE.
Community Notification
This is up to CDD- 11.207.8 (c). At least two community meetings shall be scheduled at a time and location that is convenient to residents in proximity to the project site. The Community Development Department (CDD) shall be notified of the time and location of such meetings, and shall give notification to abutters, owners of land directly opposite on any public or private street or way, and abutters to the abutters within three hundred feet of the property line of the lot on which the AHO Project is proposed and to any individual or organization who each year files with CDD a written request for such notification, or to any other individual or organization CDD may wish to notify.
Who Gets Into Public Housing created with the newly passed "Affordable" Housing Overlay (AHO)?
A key AHO goal is to provide housing for residents who earn c. 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI - or less), but given the requirements of housing subsidies here, a number of the AHO tenants come from other parts of the state. Critically needed groups of Cambridge workers like teachers, firefighters and police are not prioritized.
Building Equity?
None of the AHO housing projects provides equity or come with tenant ownership agreements. Nor has Cambridge undertaken a citywide study of where tenants come from, and what their experiences are once here, or what their experiences are in the different management systems that oversee AHO properties.
Building Costs for New AHO Units - Who Benefits?
Public ("affordable") housing and management companies are key beneficiaries of this funding. The unit building costs for two of recent "affordable" housing projects run to circa $1,000,000 per unit, even without land costs (Cambridge Day 11.12; 21; Planning Board 7.18,23). This is well above market rate unit building costs, which is at roughly $600,000 per unit.
Problems with Building Upkeep and Repairs
An 8.7.23 Cambridge Day article points to problems with AHO developers undertaking necessary building repairs, requiring the city to step in with millions more in financial support. The company in question, HRI, is constructing two new city AHO developments, 4 Mellen St. and 30 Wendell St.
Scale, Neighborhood Fit, and Issues around Parking
With the passage of AHO 1.0 and AHO 2.0 the city is enabling the creation of large (far denser) public housing developments that are out of scale and visual complementarity with nearby neighborhood housing, with no requirements for green spaces, and without building setbacks that are necessary for diverse plantings, including trees and lawns. There is also no requirement for parking, adding to neighborhood parking difficulties already in place.
What You Can Do:
SIGN-UP to receive email updates from the Cambridge Neighbors United. Pay attention to how your city councilors are voting on zoning changes re. related issues. Write, email and call the City Councillors, City Manager and City Clerk to express your views. Contact info for these decision makers is here. Write letters to the Boston Globe, Cambridge Day, Next Door, and Reddit. Tell your Cambridge friends and neighbors why it's important to have new public housing developments fit into the local neighborhood setting in terms of height, design, setbacks, and parking. Join neighborhood advocacy groups like the Cambridge Citizens Coalition pay attention to neighborhood signage regarding public projects. Follow local newspapers like Cambridge Day and attend local meetings of the Planning Board, the Cambridge Historical Commission, City Council, and Council-run Committee Meetings. Some advocacy groups have emerged seeking improvements to AHO developments such as Walden Neighbors and the North Walden Street project at 2072 Mass Ave.
As a city we also must embrace the real: 6 and 7 story buildings on Mass Ave. are generally a good idea. We should incorporate gentle density increases through mid-rises for public housing. Lower- and median-income families want to live in places that resemble others in the neighborhood, and no one wants to be singled out for living in the “affordable” hi-rise. The city needs a new plan wherein they buy the land, then lease it to the developer for a certain period, with the city maintaining street level use, and leases it to retail to help pay the costs.
With the passage of the Affordable Housing Ordinances (AHO 1.0 and AHO 2.0) the city is enabling the creation of far larger (and far denser) public housing developments that are out of scale and visual complementarity with nearby neighborhood housing, with no requirements for green space, without the necessary building setbacks for neighborhood fit, and no required parking, adding to neighborhood parking difficulties already in place.
Public Housing is Important
And Cambridge has been effective in building large numbers of public housing units. We must now make a commitment to create public housing in a smart and sustainable way. We must also set a reasonable goal number, and revise/expand design criteria so that our public housing projects fit into existing neighborhoods and have adequate parking and green spaces.
Cambridge has already far surpassed state public housing goals or other Boston area public housing initiatives, despite our high density, high land valuation, and greatly diminished size. Cambridge is in top 10 most dense cities in the U.S. with a population over 100,00, yet Cambridge is far smaller (at 6.6 square miles) than most other dense cities such as Austin, Texas (305 square miles), Boston MA (48.4 square miles), and San Francisco (46.9 square miles). Among the Public Housing projects now in play (or recently so) are 4 Mellen St. and neighbor 30 Wendell St. as well as 2072 Mass Ave. and Walden Square.
How Many People are we talking about that are looking for subsidized housing now in Cambridge? Cambridge public housing includes both for-profit and non-profit developers and management companies. The city has not provided adequate information on the total numbers of unique Cambridge residents ion our waitlists across the various for-profit and non-profit platforms. The data point for Cambridge residents AND employees appears to be about : How many of the people on the Walden Square wait list are Cambridge residents?
A: As of June 21, 2023, there were 1,128 households on the waitlist and approximately one in five (20%) have a Cambridge address.
Questions of Neighborhood Fit and Distribution
Since the AHO ordinance went into effect, a number of new public housing projects have been in the works, but the city has yet to state how many such units are enough. We already have greatly surpassed state "affordable" (public) housing requirements, and all of our neighboring towns and cities, despite our small 6 mile footprint and existing density. In addition new AHO projects are not being equitably distributed around the city as was promised in the AHO ordinance. The Baldwin neighborhood currently is being disproportionately targeted with two large AHO structures within the works within a block of each other that will transform the neighborhood housing scale and demographics and make parking an even greater issue for current residents and new tenants alike. Architect and former Councillor Dennis Carlone voted no on the AHO for design and other reasons, as he lays out HERE.
Community Notification
This is up to CDD- 11.207.8 (c). At least two community meetings shall be scheduled at a time and location that is convenient to residents in proximity to the project site. The Community Development Department (CDD) shall be notified of the time and location of such meetings, and shall give notification to abutters, owners of land directly opposite on any public or private street or way, and abutters to the abutters within three hundred feet of the property line of the lot on which the AHO Project is proposed and to any individual or organization who each year files with CDD a written request for such notification, or to any other individual or organization CDD may wish to notify.
Who Gets Into Public Housing created with the newly passed "Affordable" Housing Overlay (AHO)?
A key AHO goal is to provide housing for residents who earn c. 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI - or less), but given the requirements of housing subsidies here, a number of the AHO tenants come from other parts of the state. Critically needed groups of Cambridge workers like teachers, firefighters and police are not prioritized.
Building Equity?
None of the AHO housing projects provides equity or come with tenant ownership agreements. Nor has Cambridge undertaken a citywide study of where tenants come from, and what their experiences are once here, or what their experiences are in the different management systems that oversee AHO properties.
Building Costs for New AHO Units - Who Benefits?
Public ("affordable") housing and management companies are key beneficiaries of this funding. The unit building costs for two of recent "affordable" housing projects run to circa $1,000,000 per unit, even without land costs (Cambridge Day 11.12; 21; Planning Board 7.18,23). This is well above market rate unit building costs, which is at roughly $600,000 per unit.
Problems with Building Upkeep and Repairs
An 8.7.23 Cambridge Day article points to problems with AHO developers undertaking necessary building repairs, requiring the city to step in with millions more in financial support. The company in question, HRI, is constructing two new city AHO developments, 4 Mellen St. and 30 Wendell St.
Scale, Neighborhood Fit, and Issues around Parking
With the passage of AHO 1.0 and AHO 2.0 the city is enabling the creation of large (far denser) public housing developments that are out of scale and visual complementarity with nearby neighborhood housing, with no requirements for green spaces, and without building setbacks that are necessary for diverse plantings, including trees and lawns. There is also no requirement for parking, adding to neighborhood parking difficulties already in place.
What You Can Do:
SIGN-UP to receive email updates from the Cambridge Neighbors United. Pay attention to how your city councilors are voting on zoning changes re. related issues. Write, email and call the City Councillors, City Manager and City Clerk to express your views. Contact info for these decision makers is here. Write letters to the Boston Globe, Cambridge Day, Next Door, and Reddit. Tell your Cambridge friends and neighbors why it's important to have new public housing developments fit into the local neighborhood setting in terms of height, design, setbacks, and parking. Join neighborhood advocacy groups like the Cambridge Citizens Coalition pay attention to neighborhood signage regarding public projects. Follow local newspapers like Cambridge Day and attend local meetings of the Planning Board, the Cambridge Historical Commission, City Council, and Council-run Committee Meetings. Some advocacy groups have emerged seeking improvements to AHO developments such as Walden Neighbors and the North Walden Street project at 2072 Mass Ave.
Public Housing should fit into the Neighborhood in terms of height, scale, setbacks, green spaces, parking, and other features.
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HOw Much More Public Housing DOES Cambridge Seek or REQUIRE?
at what Financial and Neighborhood PricE?
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Above pages from the Spring 2024 Cityview Newsletter on Cambridge's Ongoing Commitment to Public Housing
