On September 14, ABC circulated a letter making three claims about the Multi-Family Housing Ordinance in an effort to block reasonable changes that benefit all the citizens of Cambridge.
1. “Cambridge’s Multifamily Housing Ordinance is working.”
ABC STATEMENT: FALSE: The letter points to a growing housing pipeline and more than 150 permanently affordable homes.
But unit counts alone do not tell the whole story. Most new construction is concentrated in the city’s already densest neighborhoods, while much of it is luxury housing. The current approach risks increasing inequality and placing the greatest environmental burdens—flooding, extreme heat, tree loss, and displacement—on residents least able to absorb them.
2. “The proposed CDD and Zusy/Flaherty amendments would harm affordability.”
ABC STATEMENT: FALSE: Cambridge can build more housing without sacrificing public health, safety, and environmental resilience.
Reasonable setbacks, tree protection, building reuse, and effective stormwater and waste management are not anti-housing. They are the standards that make housing healthy, safe, and worth living in.
3. “More housing is necessary for a welcoming Cambridge.”
ABC STATEMENT: FALSE: A welcoming city does more than add units. It protects residents’ ability to remain safely and affordably housed.
True inclusion means creating homes with daylight, clean air, trees, resilience, and dignity—for current residents and newcomers alike. Housing policy should expand opportunity, not accelerate displacement or concentrate environmental risks in vulnerable neighborhoods.
The proposed amendments threaten no one’s right to housing. They threaten an unchecked development model that prioritizes maximum profit over community health and long-term affordability.
Don’t be misled. Look beyond the talking points and visit Cambridge Housing Facts for more objective information.
Learn more at Cambridge Housing Facts: www.cambridgehousingfacts.com