The Latest from CommunityScale
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Corporate ownership of single-family homes
While leading a Housing Needs and Workforce Housing Assessment for Matteson, Illinois, a suburb south of Chicago, CommunityScale noticed that many single-family homes in the town’s parcel data listed LLCs as their owners, a…
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Notable trends in the 2024 ACS data release
The Census Bureau’s 2024 American Community Survey is out, and it carries important signals about housing and demographics across the country. This post highlights the trends CommunityScale found most notable in the new release,…
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Three phases of local housing action
Communities across the country are confronting housing challenges that can feel urgent, complex, and overwhelming. Through work with dozens of municipalities and regions, CommunityScale has observed that communities typically move through three phases as…
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Central Massachusetts Regional Housing and Transportation Study
CommunityScale and Toole Design are leading a study focused on the relationships between housing and transportation across the Central Massachusetts region, spanning from the urban center in Worcester to the surrounding suburbs and rural…
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Rolling out new State-required multifamily zoning
In 2021 Massachusetts adopted the MBTA Communities Act, requiring 177 municipalities to permit by-right multifamily zoning near transit, a mandate notable for compelling communities to change their codes rather than simply offering incentives. CommunityScale…
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Minneapolis-St Paul Regional Housing Nexus Study
The Twin Cities region needed a defensible analytical foundation to help its cities and townships adopt and update local inclusionary housing ordinances. CommunityScale completed a region-wide housing nexus study for the Metropolitan Council that…
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Johnson County, IA Housing Assessment Study
CommunityScale completed a non-metro housing strategy for the small cities, villages, and unincorporated areas of Johnson County, IA. The project included extensive data analysis, housing needs assessment, strategies toolkit, and actionable implementation plan. Recommendations…
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City of Pueblo Consolidated Plan and Fair Housing Analysis
To guide its use of federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnerships funding, the City of Pueblo, Colorado needed a clear, equity-focused strategy. CommunityScale partnered with the City to develop a comprehensive…
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Southborough’s Housing Production Plan Approved
The Southborough Housing Production Plan update builds on the foundation of previous HPPs, while adapting to new state programs, emerging demand patterns, and evolving best practices. The HPP establishes housing goals and strategies to…
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CommunityScale in the news: Hilliard, OH housing plan open house
Local coverage captures strong community engagement as Hilliard, Ohio works through its housing study, with residents attending the first public meeting to give feedback on the city’s comprehensive housing needs assessment. With Hilliard’s population…
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West Natick Mixed-Use Zoning Support
CommunityScale partnered with the Town of Natick to analyze and visualize zoning reforms for the West Central Corridor along Route 135. We developed detailed test fits accounting for complex topography, calculating development potential including…
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Our approach to open source mapping
Like many planners and geospatial professionals, the CommunityScale team grew curious about alternatives to Esri’s ArcOnline platform. While Esri offers a full suite of products, some clients worried about the performance of embedded maps,…
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CommunityScale kicks off comprehensive rezoning for Lowell, MA
The City of Lowell has selected CommunityScale to lead a citywide comprehensive zoning rewrite, building on the firm’s earlier work on Lowell’s transit-oriented multifamily overlay zone. The process begins with an audit of the…
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CommunityScale in the news: Johnson County looks to expand its non-metro area, while balancing growth
Local coverage follows CommunityScale’s housing study for Johnson County, Iowa as the county weighs expanding its non-metro area while balancing growth. The study, underway since April, has included a series of public meetings and…
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Housing Library
Many communities are searching for ways to create housing that is both attainable and in keeping with the character of existing neighborhoods, and the challenge often lies in the gap between large apartment complexes…
