BOSTON — For generations, triple-deckers were a reliable housing option for working families.
But today, Boston’s zoning laws make it difficult to build them.
As the region grapples with the current housing crisis, Boston City Councilor Henry Santana thinks it’s time to change that.
“They’re already part of the fabric of most of our neighborhoods here in the city of Boston,” Santana said.
Santana believes adding more of these locally iconic buildings could help alleviate the shortage of affordable housing.
“It’s about keeping families, residents, young professionals, our immigrant families, working-class people here in the city of Boston for generations to come,” Santana said.
Historically, triple-deckers were the way many people broke into the housing market, but amendments to the city’s zoning laws cooled that trend.
The result is that many residential areas of Boston restrict buildings over two and a half stories.
Going taller today requires a zoning variance, which can be a lengthy and expensive process.
Santana has filed a proposal to change that.
“We have very outdated zoning laws in Boston, and I think it’s a big contribution to the housing crisis that we’re seeing,” Santana explained.
Jesse Kanson-Benanav, executive director of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, an advocacy group focused on increasing the supply of housing statewide, said, “Zoning is a really important piece of the puzzle because it determines what type of home can be built where.”
He says Massachusetts is far behind when it comes to building the housing needed in the state.
“In the 30 years prior to 1990 in Massachusetts, we built 900,000 homes. In the 30+ years since 1990, we have only built half as much, about 450,000 homes.”
Kanson-Benanav says that the deficit is what keeps prices so high throughout the area.
“We know that building and expanding the supply of homes is a critical strategy for making cities and regions more affordable. We have seen this in other parts of the country.”
Residents on Centre Street in Jamaica Plain were cautiously supportive of building more triple-deckers.
One man told Boston 25 News, “We need more affordable homes, because if you just built a bunch of triple-deckers and then rate people out, it wouldn’t matter what kind of structure it is.”
A woman added, “If they’re affordable, sure. It’s better than big condo buildings in the neighborhood, I think.”
Greg Vasil, CEO of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board, supports simplifying the zoning rules for triple-deckers.
“I think it’s a great idea that the time has come. The triple-decker provides great family housing,” Vasil said.
However, he cautions that high construction costs will still be an issue.
“Unfortunately, the economics of development that we have today are what they are, and the materials cost what they cost, so people will have to do a pro forma to look at building a three-family in Dorchester, what it’s going to cost them, and figure it out from there,” Vasil explained.
The triple-decker has a long history in many New England communities.
In fact, the very first one was built in Worcester in 1858.
As for the Boston proposal, Councilor Santana told Boston 25 News, it has broad support throughout the city council and will soon be the subject of a public hearing.
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