How will Harvard Street zoning make Brookline More Affordable?

The Harvard Street rezoning will enable multifamily housing for a broad range of income levels.

Brookline’s inclusionary zoning policy will apply, requiring that at least 15% of the units must be legally affordable in every project of four units or more.

While in other parts of town a developer can pay into the Affordable Housing Trust Fund rather than providing affordable units on-site, the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article requires that on Harvard Street, the affordable units must be on-site. This helps to ensure an economically and racially diverse neighborhood.

For developers that use the ground-floor commercial incentive, the affordable units can be priced as “workforce housing”, helping people who work in Brookline—whether for the Town or for local businesses—to afford living here.

Housing built on Harvard Street will be market-rate units, not “luxury units”. Not only must 15% of the units be affordable, but none of the housing units will have extra parking or high-rise views, typical requirements luxury buyers. Every unit, affordable or market-rate, will avoid the added cost of extra parking—as much as $50,000 per space.