Harvard Report Cites Zoning, Construction Costs as Obstacles to New Housing

The second in a series of reports from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard examines the housing shortage in Massachusetts, focusing on ‘missing middle housing.’ 

Ryan Kushner highlights five key takeaways in Smart Cities Dive. First, the reports note that missing middle housing has a long history in Massachusetts, where “triple-decker” apartment buildings were common before regulatory barriers made them impossible to build in most parts of the state.

According to the report, zoning and building codes are the  biggest barriers to building more middle housing. But the rising costs of materials and labor also make smaller projects prohibitively expensive. 

The report notes that denser housing brings economic benefits beyond affordability such as more walkable neighborhoods and new income opportunities for homeowners. “Legalization of missing middle housing in the state could also spur a new generation of smaller-scale home builders, the report notes.”

The report recommends six areas for regulatory reform that could pave the way to more middle-scale housing in Massachusetts. These include legalizing middle housing, reducing or eliminating parking requirements, and reducing minimum lot sizes.