Unlocking 222,000 Homes Through A Middle Housing Revolution
- Jonathan Berk
- Jun 13
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 16
Massachusetts faces a well-documented housing crisis, with Governor Maura Healey’s administration calling for the creation of 220,000+ new homes by 2030 to play catch up on decades of under production of new housing in the region. Traditionally, much of this ambition has centered on large-scale, multifamily developments — downtown towers, and master-planned projects. While these will remain a vitally important component of our housing puzzle, there’s a quieter, more neighborhood-friendly solution hiding in plain sight: Middle housing and the need for zoning and policy reforms to allow for it's production at a scale we haven't seen for decades.
Permitting up to four homes on each residential lot would require only 6% of Massachusetts' 1.6 million single-family lots to utilize this option. This approach could produce 222,000 new homes, helping us meet our 2035 housing goals, even before considering other forms of new housing that will also play a crucial role in our housing strategy. This reform is a modest step towards rectifying decades of inadequate housing policies and setting the Commonwealth on a path to a sustainable future.
Why Middle Housing Works
Middle housing refers to building types that fit between detached single-family homes and large apartment buildings: duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage courts, and small apartment buildings. It’s not “missing” by accident — it was banned, one town at a time, by zoning laws over the last century that sought to make even the very housing that already exists in many of our communities illegal to build today. (highly recommend folks read Exclusionary By Design from researcher Amy Dain to learn more)
Middle housing is:
Typically more affordable by design. They are typically smaller, simpler and allows more homes on a single parcel.
Distributed, avoiding concentrated development backlash
More feasible for small developers & homeowners allowing a new generation of local middle housing builders, small businesses, to build our housing future
Better aligned with New England’s neighborhood fabric while still allowing our communities to 'scale up' to the next versions of themselves while meeting the needs of our evolving population.
Notably, middle housing develops organically. It typically doesn't require extensive public funding, TIF districts, or large-scale land consolidation. Local carpenters can build it on corner lots and smaller infill lots, making it resilient, swift, and community-oriented. These small developers do, however, require our assistance if this is the type of new housing we want to bring back. Many areas in the state outright ban this kind of modest density through restrictive zoning and land use patterns prescribed above. To initiate the middle housing revolution, a fundamental step is to permit this modest density by-right across more extensive areas of our Commonwealth. We need to embrace this type of development in our communities and incentivize it by making it the easiest option, or we'll continue to see housing produced only at the ends of the spectrum, large luxury McMansions and large multi-family buildings.
The Power of One Modest Reform in Massachusetts
Imagine this: what if Massachusetts simply reformed zoning laws to allow up to four* units by-right on lots currently set aside for single-family only? (*four-units chosen just for this example but could be 5, or 6 or more depending on location, lot size and existing density)
This approach wouldn't necessitate additional land, new infrastructure corridors, or large cranes. It would legalize triplexes, fourplexes, and townhomes in areas where schools, roads, essential public infrastructure, and, in many places, public transit already exist. This would empower homeowners to add additional housing to their properties, small builders to be able to build housing and local wealth within their communities, and local contractors—not just larger developers—to gradually address the state's housing needs, fostering and supporting a range of new small businesses. Let me be clear we need ALL types of housing to meet evolving needs but right now, by in large, our new housing production comes at the ends of the housing spectrum through larger luxury single family and larger multi-family and middle housing seems harder to produce than ever. (Recommend this Coby Lefkowitz article on why this is the case in America today).
Let's run the numbers a bit here... Based on current parcel and housing data, this kind of modest upzoning (just 4-units on all single-family lots) could unlock:
1.3–1.4 million single-family lots statewide
Potential for +3 units per lot
= Up to 3.9 million units in theory
Of course, not every lot would, and most importantly should, be redeveloped, and if reforms in Portland and Calgary are any indication, a very small percentage will be. If just 6% of single-family property owners took advantage of this new zoning, Massachusetts would unlock the needed 222,000 new homes — without factoring in any of the new housing units obtained through larger multi-family development that would, and certainly must, be a part of Massachusetts' housing future. We could finally allow our housing market the flexibility and opportunity to finally meet demand today and continue to adapt to changing demands for generations to come ensuring we never reach the crisis levels we're currently at today.
Portland, Oregon's Middle Housing Success
In 2020, Portland launched the Residential Infill Project (RIP) making 'middle housing' the most popular type of housing produced in the City. Since 2020, 1,400 middle housing units have been built with each one averaging about $300,000 less than a traditional single family home in the same neighborhood. It's been a lifeline for a City increasingly pushing people out due to affordability issues while allowing the housing supply to better meet the evolving needs of it's residents.
What’s Next?
Communities across the U.S. — from Oregon to California, Montana, and Minneapolis — are showing what’s possible when exclusionary zoning is replaced with inclusive growth. Massachusetts can, and must, lead again.
We don't need to rely on billion-dollar projects or large new developments to solve our housing crisis. The potential to create hundreds of thousands of homes already exists within our current neighborhoods and streets, but outdated zoning laws restrict this by allowing only one home on very large lots, which no longer meet today's needs. Massachusetts has some of the largest minimum lot size requirements in the U.S., with many towns in Eastern Massachusetts requiring more than an acre of land to build a home. This land use pattern poses a significant threat to our region's future. By allowing modest density, we can create more affordable options, stronger communities, and a future where people can live near work, school, family, and daily needs. This isn't just about housing—it's about unlocking opportunity, dignity, community, and choice for the next generation of Massachusetts residents. The solution is here. It's time to make it legal.
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Jonathan Berk is an urbanist, placemaker, housing advocate, and the founder of reMAIN, a platform dedicated to advancing the development of missing middle housing in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods. This platform supports the creation of infill housing by collaborating directly with municipalities, connecting strategic development sites with local developers and new funding sources, and helping communities achieve their stated housing objectives.
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