Local Zoning Laws and the Supply of Multifamily Housing in Greater Boston

33 Pages Posted: 5 Oct 2022

See all articles by Nicholas Chiumenti

Nicholas Chiumenti

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Aradhya Sood

University of Toronto

Date Written: October, 2022

Abstract

Housing affordability is a significant issue in many U.S. metropolitan areas, including Greater Boston. Affordability has always been a major challenge for low-income renters; however, even middle-income families now face considerable affordability hurdles, particularly in metro areas with strong labor markets. Where people live has important implications for their health, schooling, and economic mobility. Researchers and policymakers have devoted attention to the role of land-use practices, such as regulating residential zoning, in creating housing affordability problems, particularly in the context of single-family houses. This paper studies how zoning regulations influence affordability in the context of multifamily housing, focusing on Greater Boston. It finds that reforms such as relaxing housing-density restrictions could lead to meaningful increases in the supply of multifamily housing and reductions in rents.

Keywords: multifamily zoning, height restrictions, density, house prices, rents

JEL Classification: R21, R31, R58, H77, H11

Suggested Citation

Chiumenti, Nicholas and Sood, Aradhya, Local Zoning Laws and the Supply of Multifamily Housing in Greater Boston (October, 2022). FRB Boston Research Data Report No. 22-1, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4238219

Nicholas Chiumenti (Contact Author)

Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

600 Atlantic Avenue
Boston, MA 02210
United States

Aradhya Sood

University of Toronto ( email )

105 St George St
Toronto, ON M5S 3E6
Toronto, Ontario M5S 3E6
Canada

HOME PAGE: http://https://www.aradhyasood.com

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