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Council seeks study of inclusionary zoning and other incentives as development lags; staff says a consultant study would take months

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Summary

Councilors debated whether to lower Cambridge's 20% inclusionary zoning requirement to spur stalled housing projects. Staff said a comprehensive study of IZ and other incentives will likely take several months; some councilors pushed for a short-term 'stopgap' to allow projects in the pipeline to proceed.

Councilors and members of the public used Monday's meeting to debate Cambridge's inclusionary zoning (IZ) rules after developers and residents warned that recent market conditions have made many projects financially infeasible under the 20% affordable set-aside.

Multiple public speakers and local developers said high interest rates, rising construction costs and tight financing are stalling projects, and asked the council to consider a lower IZ percentage or other incentives. "If we can't build anything, then…

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