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Cambridge is taking the first steps toward increasing mixed-income housing in the city — a goal that is unlikely to come to fruition until at least 2026.
The Council voted unanimously to initiate the process of increasing social housing — publicly owned, mixed-income properties — during their Monday meeting. They referred the resolution to the housing committee, directing city staff to iron out logistics and deliver a report by March.
The schedule gives staff time to examine financing options and research how best to implement the policy. The March deadline also allows the Council to include the social housing proposal in the FY27 budget, which is scheduled for approval in spring 2026.
“I don’t want the supporters to feel that we are kicking the can,” Vice Mayor Marc McGovern said. “It’s a complicated conversation that needs the time that it needs,” he added.
Councilor Burhan Azeem also pointed to the challenges of the proposed model. He noted it could be more costly for the city because it would not qualify for federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funding, which currently supports most affordable housing projects.
“There’s a lot more complicated trade-offs than come at the first imagination,” he said. “It’s not like an easy, low-hanging fruit which we should obviously just be doing.”
Monday’s vote is the latest example of the Council’s effort to make Cambridge a more affordable city for residents of all income brackets — a key priority for voters going into municipal elections this fall. Challengers Ayah Al-Zubi and LaQueen Battle voiced their support for the policy order in public comment.
The proposal has gained popularity throughout the city thanks to its multifaceted benefits. Because properties created under this policy would be publicly owned, revenue from higher-income units could be used to cross-subsidize lower-income units and other affordable housing projects.
But the city will not greenlight any new social housing projects until after the new Council takes office in January. Despite the delay, Cambridge’s state representatives are actively pushing to increase social housing in Cambridge.
Massachusetts passed a social housing pilot as part of the most recent state bond bill, which has a dedicated fund to provide municipalities with social housing projects.
State Representative Mike L. Connolly, who was an active advocate for the legislation on Beacon Hill, voiced his support for the proposition in public comment at the meeting.
“When I go to Beacon Hill, I think of us as the housing policy and even the housing production champion around the Commonwealth,” Connolly said. “This social housing order gives us an opportunity to continue being on the forefront.”
Kavish P.M. Gandhi, a member of the CHJC, said that they brought the issue to several city councilors so that the city would have precedent to receive funding from the state as allocation talks begin next year.
“We think Cambridge needs to be part of that conversation,” Gandhi said.
McGovern said that taking inspiration from social housing methods may help the Council find a “middle ground” about whether to change the current 20 percent inclusionary unit rate for housing, where the city helps offset the cost of those units for developers.
“Maybe the developers are paying for 10 percent of those affordable units, and the city's paying for the other 10 percent,” McGovern said. “You still end up with 20 percent affordability, but the city is now paying into that so that the project can actually go forward.”
“20 percent of nothing is nothing,” McGovern added.
Correction: September 30, 2025
A previous version of this article misspelled the surname of State Representative Mike L. Connolly on one reference.
—Staff writer Diego García Moreno can be reached at diego.garciamoreno@thecrimson.com.
—Staff writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at summer.rose@thecrimson.com
