If the people who work in Belmont can’t afford to live in Belmont…
is that a “small-town feeling”???
WE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE IN BELMONT WHO WANT TO SEE OUR TOWN BECOME THE INCLUSIVE, DIVERSE, FISCALLY SOUND, ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, AND EQUITABLE TOWN WE KNOW IT CAN BE.
WE FAVOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PLACES TO LIVE IN ALL STAGES OF THE LIFE CYCLE, TOWN PLANNING TO INCREASE CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY, AND ZONING DESIGNED TO INCLUDE RATHER THAN TO EXCLUDE. THE NEXT STEP IS APPROVAL OF OUR MBTA COMMUNITIES MAP FOR BELMONT. AND THE NEXT STEP AFTER THAT…? JOIN US AND LET’S TAKE THAT STEP TOGETHER!
MORE INFORMATION…
HOUSING CRISIS? Yes, Boston has a housing crisis. The Boston Globe Spotlight team did a big series on this a while back, and we think it gives a pretty comprehensive look at the problem. Of note, a big problem is how many areas in Boston limit lots to single-family housing—and we’re sorry to say that towns like Belmont are part of that problem. But now we can also be a part of the solution.
BUT WE CAN’T AFFORD… to not build housing! Early on in the MBTA Communities process, lots of people who weren’t aware of the evidence saying the same thing for other towns insisted that rezoning would cost the town too much money. Extra people = extra costs. Sure—that’s true. But denser land use also means higher property values per acre—and more tax revenue for the town. In the end, the higher property values outweigh extra cost—and the result comes out positive for the town. Click here to get the fiscal analysis.
PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT KIDS SAY THE DARNEDEST THINGS! As the fiscal analysis shows, new housing’s new cost of extra kids in school is more than balanced out by the benefit to property values of denser use of land. But the persistence of age-discriminatory zoning (read more in this Boston Globe perspective) as a way for suburbs to increase property value without paying more for schools is exactly why the MBTA Communities Act requires family-friendly zoning. And we’ve got to say in addition: we’re constantly staggered that otherwise seemingly law-abiding folks regularly urge their neighbors to act like federal fair housing laws don’t apply. If you want to know what kind of stuff the feds get worked up about, here’s a long list. It includes deliberately trying to zone out children. Yes, kids are a federally protected class of folks. Even when they refuse to go to bed because they’re up late reading zoning bylaws or whatever it is these crazy Belmont kids do these days.
AND YES. WE HAVE TO.
We look at the MBTA Communities Act as an opportunity to help implement our Housing Production Plan, to reimagine Belmont, and to make a better town that matches the needs of our era. But if you need a law to do the right thing… well… it’s a law.
Governor Healey, WBUR interview: Your town will lose state money if you don’t live up to the law.
MBTA Communities Tracker: Other towns are doing it too.
MORE DIVERSITY IN BELMONT? LET’S START SAYING YES.
Segregation is by design. Zoning in the Boston suburbs has long had exclusionary intent. Here’s some of that history: it’s not subtle.
Exclusionary by Design report on the history of exclusionary zoning in the Boston area. We were enlightened to find out that Belmont declared itself just fine with being “expensive” in the 1970s—a planning approach that haunts us to this day. (See pages 29-30 for this part of the report.)
When surveyed, people in Belmont talk about wanting a diverse community—a place where lots of different kinds of folks can live. Our zoning should reflect our values.