By Gloria Leipzig and Matt Zajac
The Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) has recently started work with a Boston-based architecture and urban planning firm, DREAM Collaborative, to create a master plan that could serve as the blueprint for redeveloping Belmont Village.
The Belmont Village site north of Town Field and west of Thomas Street currently has 100 affordable homes for Belmont families across 25 fourplexes. BHA has diligently maintained the homes since their construction in 1949, but funding through the state’s public housing program has been insufficient to support any major renovations over the past 75 years. The buildings and site are dated and require significant capital reinvestment.
The 7.2-acre site currently hosts 100 homes situated 0.3 miles southwest of Belmont Center. Image Courtesy of Gloria Leipzig and Matt Zajac
Typical buildings at Belmont Village
Under Belmont’s MBTA Communities-compliant zoning, passed at Town Meeting in 2024, up to 200 homes are permissible on the site. Given the acute need for affordable housing in Belmont, the BHA aims to create a master plan that will implement this zoning, likely across a multiyear and multiphase redevelopment. This redevelopment is expected to commence in 2028 or later. The master plan is being funded through a Community Preservation Act award from the Spring 2025 Town Meeting.
The master plan will involve creating multiple options for the layout of housing on the site, as well as various types of housing: townhouses, duplexes, a mid-rise building, etc. The architect will provide concepts for landscaping and the massing of the buildings. Detailed design of the buildings and site will become available later in the process.
The master planning process will involve a robust resident engagement process. Belmont Village residents shared their priorities and opinions in a kickoff meeting in May 2025. They will be asked for feedback on preliminary site plans in fall 2025. BHA has also gauged residents’ thoughts through individual conversations and print and electronic communication. In late fall, neighborhood residents will also be invited to review some possible site layouts and the architect’s 3D massing images.
Engagement board from the May 2025 resident meeting show residents’ priorities. Image courtesy of Gloria Leipzig and Matt Zajac
BHA’s overall goal is to have a master plan available for review and approval by its board by the end of 2025.
Gloria Leipzig is chair of the Belmont Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Matt Zajac is deputy director of planning for the Cambridge Housing Authority.
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