Real estate values are high enough in certain neighborhoods in Cambridge, MA, where we do a lot of work, that developers and homeowners alike will go to great lengths to find extra square footage they can claim, rehab, and/or add to their homes. Cambridge zoning is notoriously difficult, but a few years ago, a game-changing amendment to the zoning ordinance allowed basement square footage to be finished *by right.* This meant you could finish your basement and add significantly to your overall square footage without needing to go through the variance process.
Think about it - as a homeowner, your small Cambridge house on a tight city lot that was previously 1500 square feet with a 700 square foot basement could now be 2200 finished square footage - so much added value, and no more onerous zoning process to go through! And of course, developers were all over this.
So, that’s when the house lifting began.
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