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

Section 8.3.5 of the Haverhill Zoning Ordinance implements a density bonus tied to the city's inclusionary zoning chapter, Section 8.3, which requires affordable units in developments of 10 or more units under Section 8.3.2. A developer who provides an affordable rental unit on-site may build one additional market-rate unit in the project regardless of the minimum lot area that unit would otherwise need; providing an affordable ownership unit earns two additional units on the same basis. To count toward the two-unit bonus, an ownership unit must be established as a condominium and its deed must permanently restrict occupancy to the unit's owner. Every other dimensional and density regulation in the underlying zoning district still applies to the project, so the bonus only relaxes the minimum-lot-area-per-unit calculation, not setbacks, height or coverage.

Section 8.3.5 caps the total number of bonus units at 25% of the number of units otherwise allowed on the lot under its normal lot-area-per-dwelling-unit requirement, so a large project cannot use the affordable-unit bonus to double its density. The bonus is also unavailable to a developer who satisfies the inclusionary requirement entirely through the cash payment-in-lieu option under Section 8.3.4, which currently runs $35,000 per rental unit and $50,000 per ownership unit not built; only a developer who actually constructs the affordable units on-site can claim the density bonus. The City Council serves as the special permit granting authority for these inclusionary developments under Section 8.3.3.