Everett, MA Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Density Bonus Law (2026)

Everett, Middlesex County, Massachusetts ties its density bonus to Section 32, Inclusionary Zoning, of the Zoning Ordinance. This page covers the City of Everett in Massachusetts, not Everett, Washington. Section 32 applies in all zoning districts to any project or series of projects that results, in the aggregate, in a total of ten (10) or more dwelling units, whether by new construction or by alteration, expansion, reconstruction or change of existing residential or nonresidential space. Such a project needs a special permit from the planning board.

The base requirement comes first. Subsection D requires at least 15% of the units at 80% AMI or at least 10% of the units at 60% AMI, at the planning board's discretion, built on site, on another site the board approves, or through a combination. The board can lower the requirement to ten percent (10%) at 80% AMI or 7% at 60% AMI if the project site has a recorded activity and use limitation and requires environmental remediation, or sits within a FEMA flood district.

The density bonus in subsection E rewards a project that goes beyond that requirement. The planning board can approve waivers of any dimensional restriction in the Zoning Ordinance, including setbacks, height restrictions, floor area ratio requirements and parking requirements, in return for affordable units in excess of the requirement. The applicant must present a baseline plan showing the number of units that could be developed without the waivers. Bonus units cannot exceed fifty percent (50%) of the units permitted without the waivers, the affordable housing requirement for the bonus units is twenty-five percent (25%), and the board must affirmatively find that the waivers will not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood than the baseline plan.

Affordable units must stay affordable in perpetuity under a regulatory agreement, with the Everett Housing Authority as monitoring agent unless the board determines otherwise. A separate density bonus exists in Section 30 for the Lower Broadway Economic Development District, where the Approving Authority can authorize increased height, stories, residential density and FAR, or reduced parking, setback, lot coverage and open space requirements, for projects with public benefits.