A housing project at 9 Wyman Road in West Cambridge and the reaction from neighbors demonstrates why uniform, citywide upzoning is more equitable than fragmented, piecemeal zoning reform.
Before the passage of Cambridge’s Multifamily Zoning last February, 9 Wyman Road was zoned exclusively for “single-family dwellings.” Now, there is the possibility for 56 new homes contained within a six-story apartment building, 20 percent of which will be permanently affordable. These homes will replace a single 2,695-square-foot home, which sold for nearly $3 million in July.
Since the project was announced, homeowners in West Cambridge have banded together to stop the planned building but are finding they have little recourse thanks to the MFZ. Some may say this inability to directly control the project is unfair, but I argue it is much fairer because the citywide upzoning has more evenly distributed the impacts of the new housing that Cambridge desperately needs across all neighborhoods.
Historically, the wealthiest residents of Cambridge have been able to control what is built in their neighborhoods, while less advantaged residents have had less of a say. This phenomenon of richer, more engaged neighbors leveraging participatory processes such as planning boards to block housing construction is well-documented in academic research. While not as explicit as the redlining that originally segregated Cambridge, these political inequalities between neighbors can produce similar outcomes.
The current geography and demographics of the city reflect historic planning processes. Since 1990, the number of homes in West Cambridge, which includes much of Harvard Square, has actually fallen. Moreover, just 1 percent of the housing stock in West Cambridge is affordable housing, compared with 15 percent citywide and 35 percent in areas such as The Port. This neighborhood, where the median family income is nearly 50 percent greater than that for the city, is clearly failing to contribute to Cambridge’s housing goals.
Today, however, six-story apartment buildings can be built alongside some of the city’s largest, most expensive single-family detached homes. This change was clearly intended by our city councillors, who sought to end “exclusionary zoning” that has historically tried to keep racial and ethnic minorities and low-income groups out of certain neighborhoods. They also created specific rules allowing developers to build more than four stories if they included more permanently affordable housing.
In other words, 9 Wyman Road is not a fluke. Our elected representatives assessed the needs of the city, listened to residents about their priorities, then set clear citywide regulations for how every owner may develop their land. They saw that it was untenable to continue to segregate where multifamily housing could be built, deciding that every neighborhood would instead help accommodate the homes and residents that Cambridge wants to welcome.
The project at 9 Wyman Road is not displacing renters. It is not gentrifying the neighborhood. It is creating 56 additional homes – including affordable housing – for current and future Cantabrigians in a neighborhood where renters would typically have a very hard time finding a home. Enabling this project to be built is a clear success of the MFZ.
Sam Polzin
Garfield Street, Cambridge
The writer is a volunteer with the housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge, but this piece reflects his opinions alone.
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