As the light snow whispered down Harrison Avenue on the morning of Feb. 9, it seemed to carry some quiet promise. Soon, Phillips Square would warm up as hundreds gathered in clusters, their anticipation bright in the winter. Lion dancers moved with radiant grace, while firecrackers burst, clearing the path for good luck in a new year clouded by uncertainty.

Chinatown is indeed facing its own uncertainties. Just two days before the parade, the City of Boston closed public comments for its proposed rezoning plans for the historic neighborhood of Chinatown. This proposal aims to clarify the different areas in the densely developed neighborhood that are ambiguously defined under the existing zoning.

Under the rezoning plan, Phillips Square, for example, where the parade took place, would fall into the mixed-use “MU-10 zone,” (“MU” stands for mixed used). This zone would see a major change: the introduction of what the city terms an “Affordable Housing Overlay.” The AHO would allow residential buildings to reach up to 350 feet or about 35 floors — a significant leap from the current 80-foot limit, which caps buildings at around 8 to 10 stories.
At first glance, the Affordable Housing Overlay sounds like a great idea. With it, developers can build tall in the MU-10 mixed-use and R-10 residential zones (“R” stands for residential here) — as long as 60% of their residential units are considered “affordable.” These zones cover a big chunk of Chinatown’s north, south, and west edges, meaning the overlay has the potential to add a lot of affordable housing to the neighborhood.
But there’s a catch. These so-called affordable units would be offered at 100% area median income, or AMI. This income level is currently $114,200 a year for a single-person household and $146,900 for a family of three. Boston uses the AMI to decide who qualifies for affordable housing, but the reality is that as of 2020, over 42% of households in Chinatown were making less than $35,000 a year, according to available figures. That mismatch exists because when Boston calculates AMI, it includes wealthier neighboring areas like Brookline, which drives the number up and makes affordable housing out of reach for many.
Looking at the AMI requirement in context, the income gaps become obvious — compare white and Asian households, homeowners and renters, and Chinatown residents vs. those in downtown. Who will actually be able to afford these promised units? Will it be home buyers and working professionals looking for a cheaper option in expensive Downtown Boston? Or the people who already live, work, and build their community in Chinatown?
Affordable Housing Overlay and inclusive zoning are steps in the right direction to help keep Chinatown livable for its community. But the affordability levels need to go much deeper. Right now, about one-third of the affordable housing in Chinatown is at 60% AMI, while only 7% is at 100% AMI. At that level, these planning tools risk not resisting gentrification but accelerating it. People have already been pushed out of Chinatown over the past decade. Without deeper affordability, the overlay will only create more “high-end” affordable units — on a large scale — without addressing the real housing needs of the community.
During a conversation about rezoning, Lydia Lowe from the Chinatown Community Land Trust, noted that “the whole point of giving (the developers) an exception for affordable housing is because it would be something good for the community.” Otherwise, “why would you do that, why would you give that away?”
Her comments reflect what many Chinatown residents have been saying in public feedback to the city.
Despite becoming more mixed-income, Chinatown remains a neighborhood for working-class families. Truly affordable housing is crucial both in scale and depth — it’s an anchor for this community. The city’s proposed rezoning includes some positive changes, like the preservation of row houses, won through strong community organizing. But its most promising tool, the Affordable Housing Overlay, needs to create deeper levels of affordability. As one resident put it so aptly in the public feedback survey: “Let’s make affordable housing geared towards our Asian families who make a living here.”

Upcoming Zoning Amendment Update Public Meetings are scheduled on:
March 18, 6-8 p.m. (Virtual); March 23, 1-3 p.m. (Josiah Quincy Upper School, 900 Washington St.)

Mingjia Chen is a graduate student at MIT School of Architecture and Planning.