A move to bring more affordable housing turns into a fight
Some of us start the new year with a plan to hit the gym more, or eat better. In Cambridge, officials are planning, once again, to try to tackle the city’s gaping shortage of affordable housing.
But if most New Year’s resolutions are feel-good affairs, this one is shaping up to be a fight.
Next week, the Cambridge City Council will hold a public hearing on a plan to nearly double the amount of affordable units included in new housing projects. The proposal would require developers to set aside 20 percent of units at affordable rents — $1,766 a month for a family of three that earns about $70,000 a year, for example. The current requirement is 11.5 percent of units.
Proponents argue it will help middle- and working-class residents remain in what’s become one of the region’s most expensive housing markets. But some builders warn the new rules will backfire and only discourage new housing.
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