Waltham Council Opens Hearings on Affordable Housing and Lincoln Street Rezoning

WALTHAM -- April 13, 2026, Waltham City Council opened public hearings on three zoning changes, including a major affordable housing overhaul, at its April 13 meeting. Ward 8 Councillor Cathyann Harris presented a Metropolitan Area Planning Council-backed proposal to lower the city's inclusionary zoning threshold from 20 percent to a tiered structure, 10 percent affordable for projects of 8 to 18 units, 15 percent for 19 or more, after MAPC's feasibility analysis found that no development scenarios were viable under current rules, which have produced zero affordable units since adoption. Sixteen residents stood in favor; none opposed. The council also heard a petition from CPLS Development LLC to rezone the 1.38-acre Fizzy Farms property at 495 Lincoln Street from Residence A-2 to Residence B for six two-family homes and one single-family home, and a separate proposal to allow pet grooming businesses by right in commercial zones without a kennel license. All three were referred to the Ordinances and Rules Committee, with the Board of Survey and Planning set to weigh in on all of them May 6. The council also approved a $35,000 fire safety grant for the Waltham Fire Department, a $55,000 appropriation for ongoing comprehensive zoning services, and a $10,536,466 loan authorization for police station design, the last on first reading only.