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Planning & Zoning > Current Zoning Initiatives > Neighborhood Housing

Neighborhood Housing

Overview
FAQ
What will residential zoning do for you?
Community Engagement

Overview

Because Boston’s zoning laws are so outdated, most of the existing housing in our city does not comply with current zoning. This outdated zoning forces residents to go through an expensive and time consuming variance process at the Zoning Board of Appeal to add an accessory dwelling unit (ADU), or make small renovations and additions like adding a dormer or porch.

New residential zoning through the Neighborhood Housing initiative will set clear, straightforward rules that better align with how our neighborhoods look today. The first phase of this project will focus on Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park,  building on work completed in Mattapan.

FAQ

What is the purpose of this project?  
Most existing homes in Boston don’t comply with current zoning rules. Because of this, making changes to one’s home - whether a small renovation, or adding an ADU - often requires a costly, time-consuming variance process. The Neighborhood Housing iInitiative will modernize residential zoning for clear, predictable rules that reflect how neighborhoods actually look today. 

The broad changes that will come out of updated residential zoning will enable accessory dwelling units (ADUs), simplify home renovations, and increase predictability for new, small-scale construction in neighborhoods. 
How is this different from Squares + Streets?  
Neighborhood housing focuses on small-scale (generally 1-4 unit) homes in the more interior residential areas of neighborhoods whereas Squares + Streets focuses on the areas around neighborhood centers and main streets. The neighborhood housing effort does not overlap with Squares+Streets districts.
  
You say that most homes in Boston don’t comply with today’s zoning, but what about homes that were built before today’s zoning? If they complied with the zoning at the time of construction, why are they now considered non-compliant?    
Many homes in Boston were built before the current zoning code was written. Homes were built at a time either before the zoning code existed, or when the zoning code was more lenient, so they were compliant at the time of construction. That means that today, when a homeowner wants to make a change - whether by adding an ADU or a small addition like a dormer - the homeowner now has to comply with today's more restrictive zoning rules, even if their home complied with the zoning originally at the time of construction. The 1924 Boston Zoning Law was the City’s first set of zoning regulations enacted. A majority (61%) of small-scale homes (1-4 units) in Boston were built before 1924, meaning that there was no zoning that existed when these homes were built and these homes did not have any rules to follow. The 1924 zoning was much more flexible and allowed smaller scale and denser housing to be more common. A new citywide zoning code was enacted in 1964 which generally downzoned the city, meaning that zoning rules became much more restrictive. Consequently, small-scale housing production fell across the city, and only 10% of Boston’s small-scale housing stock was built after the 1964 Boston Zoning Code was enacted. Between the 1990s and early 2000s, zoning was updated yet again for neighborhoods to have their own unique sets of rules. . As a result, even small renovation or housing projects almost always require additional review or relief, adding time and complexity to efforts that could otherwise respond to the needs of homeowners and Boston’s evolving priorities.
 
Why can’t we just make the Zoning Board of Appeal process more efficient if that’s the reason for the delays caused in projects? Why do we have to change the zoning again?    
Many components of the ZBA process, including public meetings and public notice, are set by law for specific durations of time and cannot be expedited. Updating the zoning code itself to produce fewer variances is the more sustainable solution, as it would create clearer, more consistent rules, reduce unnecessary appeals, and make it easier for projects that meet community goals to proceed.
 
What’s the difference between a zoning law and a zoning rule?  
The difference between a zoning law and a zoning rule lies in who enacts it and the level of authority it carries. A zoning law is established at the state level (ex: Massachusetts’ Zoning Act Chapter 40A) and provides cities and towns with the legal authority to regulate land use. It sets the framework for how zoning works across the state, outlining processes for adopting local ordinances, granting variances, and handling appeals. A zoning rule, which is often referred to as a zoning ordinance or zoning code, is created at the local level by a city or town. It applies the state’s framework to specific neighborhoods, defining where housing, businesses, or industrial uses can be located. It also sets standards like building height, setbacks, and lot size requirements. The state zoning law gives municipalities the power to zone, while the local zoning code determines how that power is used in practice.
  
What will rezoning mean for my neighborhood? How will this change how my neighborhood looks?  
The goal is to align zoning with existing conditions on the ground and affirm the size and character of the homes that already exist. Many projects that currently go before the Zoning Board of Appeal are simple home renovations, including adding a porch, finishing a basement, or adding a rear addition to the home. These renovations do not significantly alter the appearance or footprint of a house or neighborhood. Mattapan presents a case study of what projects happened on the ground after a rezoning process was adopted in February 2024, following the goals outlined in PLAN: Mattapan. Since rezoning in Mattapan, 90% of small scale residential projects are now allowed by right, an increase from 60% prior to rezoning. Mattapan’s experience demonstrates that rezoning primarily supports updates to existing homes and lots, helping homeowners make improvements.
 
What does this rezoning mean for new construction in the neighborhood?  
New construction projects that follow updated zoning rules will be able to proceed without relief from the ZBA. The City’s existing processes and rules including zoning, the building and fire code, design review overlays, and demolition delay all must be followed.
What about for renovations and upkeep of my home?  
Neighborhood Housing rezoning will align the code with the homes that already exist, so maintaining or modestly updating your home becomes simpler, faster, and more predictable. You’ll still need standard building permits, but far fewer projects will require zoning relief, saving time and money.
If I’m planning on renovating my home, should I wait for this rezoning process to be complete?  
If you are already planning to renovate your home or add a unit to your existing home, you should begin the process now. We cannot guarantee a timeframe for when the updated zoning will ultimately take effect. If your project requires a variance and is waiting for a hearing from the Zoning Board of Appeal, you will always have the option to re-file your project under the new zoning.
Didn't Massachusetts just legalize ADUs across the state?  
Yes, Massachusetts recently passed a comprehensive housing bond bill commonly known as the Affordable Homes Act. One of its provisions allows accessory dwelling units under 900 square feet on single-family lots across the state, and to disallow having requirements of owner occupancy for properties with ADUs. Every municipality in Massachusetts except Boston derives its power to enact and enforce zoning through Chapter 40A. Boston is distinct in that its power to use zoning comes from a separate law, Chapter 556 of the Acts of 1956, and so the changes from the Affordable Homes Act do not apply to Boston. This is the same reason that the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning efforts, another amendment to Chapter 40A, did not apply to Boston. Boston was not specifically excluded from either of these two efforts, but Boston has to be specifically included for statewide zoning changes to apply to it.
What does the timeline look like for this project?  
The first phase of this project focuses on Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park, building on work done in Mattapan. We conducted public meetings in each neighborhood in the Fall of 2025 to describe why current zoning is not aligned with the existing conditions and to explain how updated zoning could legalize more of the homes that already exist in these neighborhoods. Since then, planners have been incorporating feedback collected from these community meetings and applying them to new city-wide districts. We anticipate releasing draft residential zoning districts for review in the coming months.

 

What will the new zoning be?  
The draft zoning we present will include not only defined new zoning districts with their own dimensional regulations, but also a map of where that zoning is proposed across Hyde Park, West Roxbury, and Roslindale. We will also provide a tool to help stakeholders and property owners look up their own properties on a map, to help understand how proposed zoning would affect individual sites.


What will residential zoning do for you?

  • Enable the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) – making it easier for multi-generational families to live together, or for residents to bring in extra income

  • Simplify upkeep and renovation of existing homes

  • Reduce the time and cost of renovations and construction of new small-scale housing

  • Provide predictability to the community at large around what is and is not acceptable, removing the case-by-case variance pattern of the current appeals process

  • Maintain consistency with statewide housing policy, which already enables ADUs

Zoning Units (ADUs)

The City has identified Accessory Dwelling Unit(s) as a means for homeowners to build independent living units on their properties and add gentle density. As a complement to this work, the Planning Department has already developed an ADU Guidebook which offers a vision for Boston residents to address housing needs through Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), providing neighborhood-scale, incremental housing options that fit into Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. This zoning initiative aims to make the schemes from the guidebook possible without zoning relief.

Community Engagement

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