Neighborhood Housing  

Latest Updates

• Learn more about the proposed draft zoning and where the updated districts are mapped in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury via this StoryMap.
• Draft zoning amendment
• Look up your address to see your proposed zoning district
• Proposed Zoning Maps
  • Overview 
  • Hyde Park 
  • Roslindale
  • West Roxbury

Have feedback about the updated draft zoning? Let us know here through this survey

Overview

The Neighborhood Housing Zoning Initiative proposes updates to Boston's residential zoning rules to allow homeowners to more easily make changes to their properties. Most of the existing housing in our city was constructed before current zoning existed, so most of the homes we all live in would not be legal to build today. This means that homeowners trying to make small, sensible updates to properties like adding a porch or a wheelchair ramp, require special permission from the Zoning Board of Appeal. 

New residential zoning will set clear, straightforward rules that better align with how our neighborhoods look today, making it easier for homeowners to renovate, put on additions, and adapt their properties over time.

This initiative is beginning in Hyde Park, Roslindale, and West Roxbury. Later phases will reach other neighborhoods.

What will the updated zoning do?

The updated zoning will make it easier to:

• Add a porch or portico 
• Finish and expand an attic with dormers to add more liveable space
• Build a detached Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) in a rear yard 
• Add more units within an existing building 
• Reconfigure and expand rooms - like kitchens, home offices, or bedrooms - to suit homeowners’ needs
• Add a ramp to make a property more accessible 

The draft zoning also creates clear, predictable rules. It establishes limits on building height and lot coverage, and introduces requirements for yard space so that the standards for any project are clear and the same for everyone on the block, rather than settled case-by-case with the Zoning Board of Appeal. 

Residents will still need standard building permits, but far fewer projects will require zoning relief, saving time and money.

Community Engagement