Latest
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Launching the Melrose Rezoning Project
CommunityScale is launching a rezoning project with the City of Melrose, MA. This project will entail working closely with the City staff for the comprehensive recodification of the city’s Zoning Ordinance. This collaboration aims…
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Launching a Housing Production Plan for the Town of Lancaster
We are excited to work with for the Town of Lancaster’s Housing Production Plan Update in collaboration with subconsultant Levine Planning Strategies. Through this collaboration, we will refresh Lancaster’s Housing Production Plan (HPP) with…
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Income vs house price: How to calculate housing affordability
Determining how much a household can afford to pay for housing depends on numerous factors, from mortgage rates to down payments to property tax rates. It isn’t as simple as income vs. house price.…
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Fall River Davol Street Housing Market Analysis
CommunityScale is supporting the City of Fall River in developing a detailed housing plan, housing needs assessment, and housing market analysis that informs a large-scale mixed use redevelopment master plan along the city’s waterfront.
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Growth is a choice: How housing demand and policy interact to shape the future
While long-term projections may suggest demand is strong and growth is inevitable, often the only way to realize this change is through municipal action with public support. As such, to be useful for practical…
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2024 is a busy year for the MBTA Communities Zoning Law in Massachusetts
177 communities are required to adopt a by right multifamily zoning district. 12 communities had a deadline in 2023, 130 have a deadline in 2024, and the remaining 35 have a deadline in 2025.
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CommunityScale begins Housing Needs Assessment for the City of Alexandria, VA
CommunityScale is excited to begin work on a Housing Needs Assessment for Alexandria, VA as a foundational step towards an update of the City’s 2013 Housing Master Plan. As we have learned through this…
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Thoughts on how Everett became a housing boomtown in the Boston area
This February, the Boston Globe published an article How Everett became a housing boomtown in the Boston area that demonstrated how Everett has permitted housing units at the fastest rate in Greater Boston, adding…
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CommunityScale joins MHP to assist the Town of Wakefield with MBTA Communities compliance
CommunityScale and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) have entered into an agreement to provide technical assistance to the Town of Wakefield for MBTA Communities compliance. Our collaboration with MHP and Wakefields builds on our…
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Dedham MBTA Communities Zoning
CommunityScale worked with the Town of Dedham’s staff and planning board to craft MBTA Communities compliant zoning.
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CommunityScale writing MBTA Communities zoning for Town of Duxbury
We are excited to announce we’ve been selected by the Town of Duxbury to support their pursuit of compliance with the MBTA Communities Law. As part of this effort, we will draft multi-family zoning…
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CommunityScale kicks off a housing needs assessment in Fall River, Massachusetts
CommunityScale is excited to announce the kickoff of a comprehensive housing market analysis project that is part of the Route 79-Davol Street Corridor Improvements project and master planning process aimed at transforming Fall River’s…
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Rhode Island Housing Needs Assessments
To help the state’s diverse municipalities address mounting affordable housing challenges, RIHousing, Rhode Island’s housing finance agency, introduced a technical assistance program to connect communities with consulting resources tailored to help them assess local…
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City of Lynn selects CommunityScale for zoning overhaul
We are excited that the City of Lynn has announced the selection of CommunityScale as the consultant for the comprehensive Zoning Code Rewrite project. This initiative will modernize Lynn’s zoning regulations to reflect contemporary…
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How to measure market demand with targeted housing market analysis
Gauging demand for new market-rate housing development can be challenging, especially in communities where it may not be prevalent (yet). Our innovative approach to “target“ housing market analysis is designed to help communities identify…