Zoning Bylaw Amendments Neighborhood Meeting - Apr 3rd, 2019

Tonight was DPCD's second neighborhood meeting, to present zoning articles to town meeting members. It was held in the Thompson School library.

I took a break from my usual copius note taking, and just jotted down a couple of points instead.

• The Arlington Housing Authority is the largest provider of affordable housing in town. They have 713 units, but have not developed any projects since the 1980s.
• The correct way to think about affordable housing is over the long term. You have to consider the net gain versus the net loss.
• Without perpetually affordable units, you'll still have a risk of displacement. Landlords can raise rents as they see fit.
• Building affordable housing is hard. There are really two options: (1) subsidies from the state and federal governement, and (2) leveraging the market to produce it for you.