City Councillor Marc McGovern defended the types of residences being built under the MFHO in the Sept 16, 2026, article titled “Zoning update may see major changes,” stating, “These are for people who make too much money for a subsidized unit but can’t afford a $4 million single-family home. That is the middle class of Cambridge.”
Hmmm. U.S. Census data show the annual median household income (AMI) for Cambridge is $130,000. The standard formula for defining middle class is a range from two-thirds of the AMI to twice the AMI. This means middle class households in Cambridge earn between $87,000 and $260,000.
How much home does that buy? Online affordability calculators show that this income range can afford middle-class properties priced between $271k and $1.2 million. To my knowledge, there is next to nothing being built under the MFHO in my neighborhood, Riverside, that will serve the middle class of Cambridge.
In Riverside, new luxury condos under construction will offer 2,350 to 3,250 square feet of space, one boasting a private elevator. Actual sales of recently built units in our neighborhood show an average price of $1,200 per square foot, so these new properties will likely be offered at $2.8 million to $4.2 million, well beyond the means of our middle class.
Unsurprisingly, developers are maximizing footprints and profits at the expense of neighboring homes and urban green space to preferentially serve the wealthiest. If our City Councilors want to serve our middle class, they need to go back to the drawing board.
Sarah Hill / Franklin Street, Cambridge
A stronger
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