Zoning for Multifamily Housing

• Allow multifamily housing in all neighborhoods in Cambridge.

• Promote the creation of more housing, with a focus on income-restricted affordable housing through the city’s inclusionary housing program.

• Remove some requirements that make it more difficult to build multifamily housing, such as minimum lot sizes, limits of the number of housing units, and on the amount of floor area.

• Continue to encourage the creation of permanently affordable housing through the inclusionary housing requirements and Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO).

• Residential neighborhoods in different parts of the city, some of which used to have more restrictive zoning rules than others, now have the same “Residence C-1” zoning (see map).

• Residence C-1 allows residential building heights up to four stories, or up to six stories if the project meets inclusionary housing requirements (20% affordable) and the lot size is at least 5,000 square feet. A meeting with neighbors is required for a building of four or more stories.

• Zoning no longer sets a minimum lot size, maximum number of units, or maximum amount of floor area for housing. Setback requirements are reduced (different requirements apply in different districts), and open space requirements apply including Green Factor standards for new buildings.

• ADOPTED Zoning Map - 11” by 17”

• ADOPTED Zoning Map - 18” by 36”

Design Guidelines for Multifamily Housing

In June 2025, CDD Community Planning & Design staff published design guidelines for new multifamily housing development. These guidelines were created to guide the design of both affordable and market-rate multifamily residential buildings of four or more stories. They encourage projects to be compatible with the city’s existing buildings and neighborhoods, to minimize negative impacts on neighbors, and to contribute to the beauty of Cambridge’s public realm. They are based on the principle that being a good building means being a good neighbor.

The Guidelines illustrate how buildings can best respond to the scale, form, and character of adjacent buildings, frame Cambridge’s streets, and provide open spaces that enrich the lives of residents and the community.

They address critical elements of building and site design, and emphasize that sustainability and resilience are integral to all multifamily projects. Where applied, these guidelines provide developers, designers, and community members with a common resource for positively shaping Cambridge's future residential growth.