Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)

Citation: Town of Arlington, Fair Housing Action Plan (July 2021)
Jurisdiction: Arlington (municipal)
Source: Official source
Original Source: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/57214/637641171662530000 ↗

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to providing needed housing due to the difficulty of upgrading historic buildings. Addressing impediments to fair
housing within the existing housing stock therefore requires a concerted effort.
For the purposes of this summary analysis, Arlington’s housing stock is divided into two categories: the largely
unrestricted private housing market that provides most of the town’s housing at market rates and the supply of
deed-restricted affordable housing available only to income-eligible households.

Unrestricted (Private Market) Housing
Supply Growth
Like the region as a whole, Arlington’s current housing stock does not meet demand for housing in the town. This
lack of supply results in rising home prices. Between 2010 and 2016, the 15 cities and towns of the Metro
Mayors Coalition (which includes Arlington) added nearly 110,000 residents and 148,000 new jobs, but only
permitted 32,500 new housing units.39 For its part, Arlington only permitted 360 units in that timeframe.40 This
mismatch between new housing demand and new housing supply results in upward pressure on housing costs,
which disproportionately affects protected classes with lower household incomes. Given Arlington’s already high
prices within the region, cost increases are felt acutely.
Assessment: The limited housing supply and limited growth in supply increase prices, which limits access to
Arlington’s housing to those who are most able to pay rapidly rising prices. Limited access disproportionately
impacts members of protected classes, as many (though not all) members of protected classes have lower
incomes than the population generally.