FACTS & FAQs


THE BIG PICTURE

The need for housing affordability is a national issue.  Cities and towns everywhere are dealing with the effects of stagnant and declining wages, the withdrawal of the federal government from housing creation leading to a lack of affordable housing, pressures on services and property taxes, and irreversible changes to communities.  Massachusetts is no different, with calls for great increases in housing supply, particularly in the communities close to Boston.   

Like many of these communities,  Arlington is also dealing with the need for better public transportation, and the lure of  our desirability vs. our finite size.  We are already the second densest town and the 12th densest overall community in Massachusetts, and none of these issues will be solved by squeezing more people into a town that our Annual Budget describes as “densely populated and fully built-out.”  But the Town is considering new Zoning Bylaws that would allow greatly increased density with only minimal increases in our supply of affordable units, no protections for existing residents and businesses at risk of displacement by redevelopment, increased strain on public services, especially our schools, and potential harm to our environment.  Despite the defeat of the first round of these proposals at 2019 Annual Town meeting, the Town is forging ahead with plans for the Heights business districts based on these proposals, and promising to bring them back to Town Meeting in 2020, as if residents and Town Meeting members had not spoken.

Visit our Affordability page to learn more about where we stand in terms of creating affordable housing, and why it is the only kind of housing we need.

Scroll down to read FAQs about the situation, and to see what might happen if increased density were allowed.