Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Proposes Housing Policy Changes: Easier Payment Terms for Developers, 20 Percent Affordability Requirement Unchanged
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has announced adjustments to the city's inclusionary zoning and linkage fee policies to help residential and commercial development projects move forward amid high interest rates and construction costs, while keeping the city's core commitment to affordable housing. The amendments were submitted on November 12 to the board of the Boston Planning & Development Agency for review, and will then go before the Zoning Commission and the City Council.
The proposal includes three main changes: installment payments for affordable-housing fees would be extended from two installments to seven, easing developers' upfront financing pressure; the condominium alternative fee would drop from 75 percent to 50 percent of the gap between market and restricted prices; and the small-project threshold for inclusionary zoning would temporarily rise from seven units to ten units for two years. Commercial linkage fees would be frozen at current levels through 2027, with installments likewise extended to seven, while the requirement that 20 percent of units be affordable remains unchanged.
Wu said that over the past five years the inclusionary zoning and linkage policies have delivered more than 2,900 affordable homes in Boston, and that as of June 2026 more than 5,000 income-restricted homes had been completed or were under construction, with developer payments into the related funds exceeding $200 million. City data show Boston issued permits for 2,448 homes in the first nine months of 2026, putting it on pace for its best annual total since 2022.
Source: City of Boston
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 波士顿市政厅。／Boston City Hall.（Daniel Schwen，CC BY-SA 4.0，Wikimedia Commons）
