Construction and Housing – Belmont Citizens Forum

McLean Hospital Zone 3 Housing Breaks Ground

Construction and Housing, July/August 2026, McLean, Newsletter Comments Off

Jun 302026

McLean Hospital Zone 3 Housing Breaks Ground

By Jeffrey North The long–planned “Zone 3” housing on McLean land is finally moving forward with construction of a 150‑unit, all‑electric housing complex poised to become one of the town’s most significant new sources of both market‑rate and affordable homes. Construction is visible from the Coal Road as it winds up Belmont Hill from Pleasant Street. Brief History of Zone 3 In 1999 Belmont and McLean Hospital consummated an agreement that rezoned 238 acres of McLean land. In exchange for upzoning some of the undeveloped land surrounding the McLean campus to permit commercial development Belmont received 119 acres of conservation [READ MORE]

Community Preservation Committee Endorses Projects

Construction and Housing, Environment, Historic Preservation, May/June 2026, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

Apr 242026

Community Preservation Committee Endorses Projects

By Aaron Pikcilingis Each spring at Belmont’s Annual Town Meeting, Town Meeting members (TMM) consider projects recommended by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) and vote whether to award each Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding. TMM may choose to either fund the project as recommended, reject the project, or reduce the funding. CPA funding requires both the recommendation of the CPC and Town Meeting, so TMMs may not elect to vote for different projects or substantially alter a proposed project, nor may they vote to provide more CPA funding to a given project than is recommended by the CPC. For FY2027, [READ MORE]

Belmont Joins the ADU Era

Construction and Housing, May/June 2026 Comments Off

Apr 242026

By Jeffrey North Belmont now allows small accessory apartments by right on most residential lots, putting it roughly in line with neighbors like Arlington and Lexington — but the number actually built so far remains very low. After years of debate, Belmont has joined the growing list of Massachusetts communities that allow “accessory dwelling units” (ADUs) on most residential lots. The town’s ADU bylaw, approved at the March 2025 Special Town Meeting, was crafted to comply with the state’s 2024 Affordable Homes Act, which requires communities to allow at least one small ADU by right where residential units are allowed. [READ MORE]

Opinion: What is a Town For?

Construction and Housing, March/April 2026 Comments Off

Feb 202026

By Meg Muckenhoupt This issue contains an article by respected Belmont residents arguing that a proposed overlay district in Belmont Center will lead to a net loss to the town. Those calculations are at odds with the numbers produced by the Warrant Committee, which predict an annual net increase in town revenue between $127,000 and $857,00 (see bit.ly/BCF-Overlay-Fiscal). Which numbers you believe are more credible depends on your assumptions—chiefly assumptions about school enrollment. Children cost towns money. They’re expensive to educate, they like to play in parks that are expensive to maintain, and they increase the need for traffic enforcement [READ MORE]

Who Built the Homer House?

Construction and Housing, Historic Preservation, History, November/December 2025 Comments Off

Oct 312025

By John Beaty The William Flagg Homer House is a Belmont story with two mysteries. The first mystery is who was the architect who designed and built the Homer House. The second mystery is who William Flagg Homer was and how he provided the resources to acquire the land, hire an architect, and build this magnificent home. The Homer House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (1979) and has been a focal point in Belmont’s Pleasant Street Historic District. It is especially interesting because the artist Winslow Homer was Flagg Homer’s nephew and often visited during the [READ MORE]

State Tackles Housing Crisis with New Laws

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

State Tackles Housing Crisis with New Laws

Massachusetts takes major steps to expand affordable housing—and Belmont responds By Representative David M. Rogers While Massachusetts is regularly ranked among the most desirable places to live in the United States, it is also ranked among the most expensive. It is widely agreed that the state is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. Communities from Pittsfield to Provincetown are affected by the housing crisis—and it certainly impacts Belmont as well. In Belmont, 28% of homeowners and 36% of renters are considered “cost-burdened,” meaning they spend more than a third of their income on housing. According to Belmont’s Housing Production Plan, last [READ MORE]

BHA Makes Plans for Belmont Village

Construction and Housing, September/October 2025 Comments Off

Aug 262025

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 [READ MORE]

Lexington Reverses Course on MBTA Zoning

Construction and Housing, May/June 2025 Comments Off

Apr 292025

Lexington Reverses Course on MBTA Zoning

By Meg Muckenhoupt On April 12, 2023, Lexington Town Meeting adopted an ambitious plan to rezone 223 acres to comply with the state’s MBTA Community Zoning law, spur economic growth, and increase affordable housing. Less than two years later, Lexington reversed course. Town Meeting reduced the rezoned area to under 90 acres, lowered the number of units per acre, and removed Lexington Center from the plan entirely. The reasons for this about-face range from practical concerns about infrastructure to a century-long tradition of distaste for people who do not have enough money for a single- family home. In Lexington, the [READ MORE]

Town Meeting to Decide MBTA Zoning

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, November/December 2024 Comments Off

Oct 282024

Below are three articles on the MBTA Community zoning (3A rezoning) proposals that will come before Town Meeting this November. An Overview of 3A By Taylor Yates This fall, Belmont Town Meeting will consider a plan to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, a law passed by the state to increase the supply of housing across 177 towns. Each town, including Belmont, is required to zone for a specified amount of multifamily homes across a specified number of acres. Belmont must zone for at least 1,632 homes across a minimum of 27 acres. After two years of work by both [READ MORE]

Vision for a Better Belmont: Chris Ryan

Construction and Housing, May/June 2024, Open Space, Parking, Traffic, Transit Comments Off

Apr 302024

This is the fourth of a new series of interviews with Belmont leaders about their vision for Belmont’s future. Jeffrey North conducted this interview. It has been edited for length and clarity. – Ed. Chris Ryan has served as Belmont’s town planner and director of planning and building (OPB) since September 2023. With more than 30 years of experience in city planning and economic development, Chris has worked at the town, city, county, regional, and state levels in the public sector in at least 10 communities and the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission; the Metropolitan Area Planning Council; and the Central [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Section 3A Rezoning Process Explained – Summary

Construction and Housing, May/June 2024, Newsletter Comments Off

Apr 292024

Belmont's Section 3A Rezoning Process Explained - Summary

By Doug Koplow A longer version of this article is available. Belmont is undergoing a significant rezoning process in response to the state’s MBTA Communities Act, commonly referred to as Section 3A. This law, passed in January 2021, aims to increase housing stock across 177 communities served by the MBTA, including Belmont. It mandates changes to local zoning requirements to allow for increased construction of multifamily housing. It sets quantitative targets for the number of housing units, acreage covered, density, and the minimum size of a rezoned area. Because Belmont is classified as a commuter rail community, we must meet [READ MORE]

How to Make Decisions About Heat Pumps

Air Quality, Climate Change, Construction and Housing, Newsletter, November/December 2023 Comments Off

Nov 012023

By Will Brownsberger Edited and reprinted with permission from Brownsberger’s blog, willbrownsberger.com/heat-pumps. Many people are seeking to shrink their personal carbon footprint. Many also seek to participate constructively in the energy systems transitions necessary to achieve net zero carbon emissions. There is a broad consensus among climate planners in Massachusetts that we need to electrify heating in buildings. However, each building raises unique challenges. This article attempts to summarize the environmental and consumer considerations for people seeking to electrify home heating. Many of these issues are explored in more depth in this heat pump outline. Several good heat pump applications [READ MORE]

Opinion: Belmont Needs Business-Friendly Zoning

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, November/December 2023, Parking Comments Off

Nov 012023

Opinion: Belmont Needs Business-Friendly Zoning

By Taylor Yates and Paul Joy Belmont has zoned itself into a financial corner. Fiscally healthy towns balance their tax bases between commercial and residential real estate, Belmont does not. Belmont receives only 5% of its property tax revenue from commercial real estate, whereas fiscally strong towns receive 20% or more. We receive so little revenue from commercial real estate because the few areas in town where it is allowed suffer from overly burdensome regulation. The Economic Development Committee and Vision 21 Implementation Committee were charged by the Select Board to review Belmont’s zoning bylaws and to look for ways [READ MORE]

Vision for a Better Belmont: Elizabeth Dionne

Board of Selectmen, Construction and Housing, History, Newsletter, November/December 2023, Select Board, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

Nov 012023

Vision for a Better Belmont: Elizabeth Dionne

This is the first of a new series of interviews with Belmont stakeholders about their vision for Belmont’s future. This interview was conducted by Jeffrey North. It has been edited for length and clarity. – Ed. BCF: Congratulations on your election to the Select Board earlier this year. What have you learned about how Belmont works—either well or not so well? Overall, having served in an official capacity in Belmont for the past seven-and-a-half years (Town Meeting, Warrant Committee, Community Preservation Committee), I am pleasantly surprised that there are not many surprises. While municipal governance can be daunting and sometimes [READ MORE]

Belmont Embraces MBTA Zoning Challenge

Construction and Housing, September/October 2023 Comments Off

Aug 312023

By Rachel Heller and Thayer Donham Belmont residents have yet another great opportunity to shape the future of our community. Under a new state law, Belmont will be creating districts where multifamily housing can be built. The multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA Communities, also known as Section 3A of the Massachusetts Zoning Act, requires municipalities with good access to transit to have zoning in place that allows for up to 15 apartments or condominiums per acre. The Multifamily Zoning Districts must be approved by Town Meeting by December, 31, 2024, and meet the following requirements: Comprise a minimum land area [READ MORE]

MBTA Rethinks Tunnel Construction

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Construction and Housing, July/August 2023, Newsletter Comments Off

Jun 302023

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. The MBTA recently changed its position regarding the preferred construction method for the new tunnel under the Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line at Alexander Avenue. Now the plan is to use “cut and cover” construction rather than tunnel jacking. The change will lower the cost of constructing the Belmont Community Path by an estimated $5 million, shorten the construction timeline, reduce the construction footprint, and be less disruptive for nearby residents, the Belmont middle-high school community, and Fitchburg Line riders. The cut and cover approach will also permit a wider tunnel, which is preferable given the anticipated [READ MORE]

BHA Plans for the Future of its Senior Community

Construction and Housing, May/June 2023 Comments Off

Apr 262023

BHA Plans for the Future of its Senior Community

By the Belmont Housing Authority Board of Commissioners In 2018, Belmont Housing Authority (BHA) was awarded Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding by the town of Belmont to embark on an ambitious project: planning for the modernization of its Sherman Gardens apartment community. Situated between Sycamore Street and Thayer Road in Waverley Square, the 80-unit state-funded public housing community has provided critical shelter for seniors and persons with disabilities since 1971. After more than 50 years without a major renovation, the apartments are now expensive, difficult to maintain, and energy inefficient. Designed 20 years before the Americans with Disabilities Act was [READ MORE]

School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

Climate Change, Construction and Housing, Environment, January/February 2023, Open Space, Parking Comments Off

Jan 032023

School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

By Justin Roe Belmont Hill School submitted their long-awaited plan for the Belmont Hill woodlands area to the planning board in October. The response from Belmont’s residents was instantaneous and overwhelming in opposing the proposal. Within three weeks, Belmont’s Select Committee and Planning Board have received hundreds of letters voicing town opposition to the project. A petition in opposition has attracted over 2,200 signatures, and hundreds of lawn signs and banners are popping up in every district in Belmont. School action groups from Lexington and Waltham are taking an active role. All within a few weeks. The school presented its [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Zoning Should Reflect Actual Use

Construction and Housing, January/February 2023, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 032023

Belmont’s Zoning Should Reflect Actual Use

By Max Colice The intensity and use regulations of Belmont’s zoning bylaws don’t reflect how most land in Belmont is actually used. Changing the bylaws to match how land in Belmont has been developed and used would reduce the burden on town officials, promote growth while preserving character, and lead to fairer, more predictable outcomes for homeowners looking to renovate or expand their homes. It would also preserve open space, allow for small-scale development of more affordable housing, and remove obstacles to small-scale commercial development. Belmont’s zoning bylaw divides the town into different zones or districts; it permits varied uses, [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Zoning Needs Rethinking

Construction and Housing, January/February 2023 Comments Off

Jan 032023

By Chris Arthur The current Belmont zoning bylaw produces inconsistent and haphazard results. It requires vastly different paths to get a permit, and those paths produce vastly different results. Changes to the zoning bylaw can produce more consistency, greater fairness, and be in line with neighboring towns’ zoning bylaws, which have been updated over the past 10 years. Cleaning up the Belmont zoning bylaw to create more consistency and clarity will also help the town’s coffers by reducing the hours that the Belmont Planning staff spend on special permits and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) projects, so that there is [READ MORE]

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