2026-08-14 · housing
‘20 percent of zero is zero’: Some progressive cities are slashing their affordable housing mandates. Should Boston?
San Francisco is cutting its inclusionary housing requirement from 15 percent of new builds to 5 percent this summer and growing its housing trust fund to $125 million, while Chelsea and Waltham have cut their mandates and Cambridge is studying its policy. Mayor Michelle Wu said she is not considering a change to Boston's 20 percent requirement; her office said the city permitted 1,643 new housing units in the first half of 2026, the highest first-half total since 2022. The Globe reported Boston's requirement has produced about 3,000 affordable units in the last decade.
Wu raised Boston's inclusionary requirement from 13 percent to 20 percent, including 3 percent set aside for Section 8 voucher holders, in her first term.