The Latest from CommunityScale
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Housing financial analysis
CommunityScale’s Economic Feasibility Assessments provide municipalities with a clear understanding of how market conditions and regulatory requirements affect the financial viability of new housing development.
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Design Lewiston Guidelines
These design guidelines create a framework aimed at shaping a Lewiston that is attractive, functional, and community-oriented.
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Market assessment
A comprehensive picture of local housing dynamics by combining data-driven analysis with stakeholder insights and policy review.
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Suitability
CommunityScale’s Housing Suitability Analysis helps regions and municipalities identify areas most appropriate for different types of housing development based on a comprehensive set of spatial and socioeconomic criteria.
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Zoning audit
Detailed review of existing zoning compared to the community’s goals, looking for issues that can be corrected in a complete rezoning or in a new district. The audit can look at both legal issues…
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Zoning
Complete rewrite of existing zoning code with or without map amendments. CommunityScale focuses on compliance with enabling legislation, legibility, and achieving community goals through the rezoning process.
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CommunityScale under contract to manage Everett’s rezoning
CommunityScale is under contract for Everett’s Recodification project. We are excited to work with the City and our project partners and create a new zoning ordinance and zoning map for Everett. Stay tuned for…
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Everett Recodification
CommunityScale is managing the complete rezoning of Everett, Massachusetts, along with project partners Stantec’s Urban Places and BBHS Law. The goal of the initiative is to modernize the code while meeting the mayor’s vision…
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Tracking how truly unaffordable housing has become in the US
For the first time in years, the median household income is not enough to afford a median-priced home – not even close! For most of the past decade, home prices and household incomes have…
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Win for affordable housing in court supported by our analysis
Nels Nelson and Sarabrent McCoy supported the proponent of affordable housing development in North Reading, Massachusetts. The case was in front of the State’s Housing Appeals Court, which recently decided in favor of the…
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Northern Kentucky Housing Data Analysis
Employment growth is surpassing the availability of workforce housing in the NKADD region. Our data-driven analysis suggests a substantial increase in the production of 1- and 2-bedroom units along with more income-aligned units. While…
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Bayside Master Plan
In a collaboration between urban planning, architecture, and landscape architecture teams, we created a master plan for Portland’s largest mixed-use development in a generation, located within the vibrant and historic Bayside neighborhood a few…
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Affordable Housing Developable Land Analysis
We have extensive experience with 40B General Land Area Minimum (GLAM) determinations, the Massachusetts State regulations for determining developability for affordable housing. Nels has appeared as a witness at the Housing Appeals Committee (HAC)…
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Five lessons learned drafting an MBTA Communities overlay for Lowell
MBTA Communities (also known as Section 3A) is an exciting and bold program that affordable housing proponents and lawmakers from across the country are closely watching to see what kind of impact can be…
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How good urban design can make city residents healthier
What makes us healthy? It’s not just hospitals. The biggest influence on our health is our physical environment and behavior. With most of the world’s population living in cities, urban design has a responsibility…