CityOfBoston Official An official website of the City of Boston

This is the website for the City of Boston’s new Planning Department, which launched on July 1. The staff and many responsibilities of the Boston Planning & Development Agency have moved to the Planning Department of the City of Boston including planning & zoning, urban design, development review, and real estate divisions. Please excuse any misalignment you may see on our site as we transition to the City. Learn more

Are you a developer looking to build housing in the City of Boston? For developments of ten or more units that require a zoning variance, or are in certain strategic planning areas (SPAs), both rental and homeownership projects must provide income-restricted units, or contribute to a special affordable housing fund. This is referred to as the Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP).

As part of the project review process, BPDA staff work with developers to identify options, make recommendations to the BPDA Board, and follow-up on developer commitments to assure that the affordable housing goals are met.

See the Key Documents page to find out more about how the Inclusionary Development Policy works, and to access commonly requested information. If you have a question that cannot be answered here, please review the Frequently Asked Questions and/or contact Lena Clark, Housing Compliance Assistant.