Housing advocates say simpler zoning would pave the way for more homes and produce more affordable housing. But opponents worry the policy would allow too-tall buildings on too-small lots and allow developers to make money on expensive apartments instead of building affordable ones.

So how will the six-story, right-hand development, which advocates say would be one of the largest zoning reform efforts attempted in an American city, work?

A walk down Kirkland Street, which runs from the Harvard University campus to the city’s Somerville border, offers some perspective.

Seen through the eyes of Councilors Burhan Azeem and Sumbul Siddiqui, this is classic Cambridge: all kinds of housing for all kinds of Cantabrigians. They say it’s also a glimpse of what the city could look like under the policy they envision: apartments, restaurants, pastel-toned multifamily buildings of all sizes and a 15-story academic tower all on the same blocks.

“We love these buildings,” Azeem said, pointing to a row of townhouses. “What people don’t realize is that it’s literally against the rules to build this way anymore. “I don’t think that’s right.”

Indeed, more than 90 percent of Cambridge’s midsize multifamily buildings were built before the city began tightening zoning rules in the 1960s. Today they cannot be built without special permission; this is a process that adds expense and time to the project if they can even be built.

Kirkland is also home to a large number of single-family homes, accounting for only 7 percent of the city’s total housing stock. It is at these addresses that Azeem and Siddiqui, the chief architects of the new development proposal, see bigger things.

Take into account 73 Kirkland Street. The 1,400-square-foot, three-bedroom home, located on an acre of land, is being sold by the previous owner’s estate this year.

Azeem, an MIT graduate and co-author of many of the city’s current zoning policies, and Siddiqui, an attorney who served as mayor, don’t think the land necessarily needs to be built up to six stories. They said a three-story, perhaps even four-story multifamily structure would be more appropriate and was the structure a developer was most likely to build given the small size of the lot.

But their policies as written would theoretically allow a six-story building to sprout there.

They said there was good reason to straighten the path, especially for buildings up to this height. The policy, which they created after consulting research on zoning reform in other cities, accommodates a six-story ceiling because it is considered a prime spot for residential construction. Smaller buildings may have so few apartments that developers cannot make a profit at reasonable rents. Any longer than that and additional requirements come into play that significantly increase the development cost.

Two council members said their proposal could create thousands of new units, hundreds of which would be affordable.

But is that reason enough to allow six-story buildings to sprout up just about everywhere?

Suzanne Blier, one of many Cantabrigians opposed to the idea, says no.

as President Blier Cambridge Citizens’ Coalitionwe walked the same path On Kirkland Avenue on a recent morning, he noted the old multi-family buildings, lush greenery and tall trees growing there; He fears all of these could be at risk due to zoning changes.

“This is Cambridge,” he said. “This is very nice. Many people are deeply invested in this neighborhood; “We can’t just remove the guardrails that give us some control over how our streets look.”

It’s unclear what will be built at 73 Kirkland. The Cambridge-based developer, which has signed a purchase-sale agreement to acquire it for an undisclosed amount, did not respond to requests for comment. However, neighbors fear that if new zoning rules are passed, a high-rise apartment building will be built there, which they think would exceed the scale.

This includes landscape architect and academic Scheri Fultineer, whose backyard is located right next to the property. This year, he distributed fliers to neighbors in person and via email, including a sketch of a hypothetical six-story structure on the lot that towers over everything near it, including the large tree in his front yard.

“It’s really hard for people to understand how long 75 feet is,” Fultineer said. “And I think everyone can see that a six-story building dwarfs everything around it.”

Six stories may ultimately be improbable on the site for any number of reasons.

“Not all developers do this, but the important thing is that they do it,” Fultineer said. “And if the offer is accepted, there’s nothing to stop them.”

Still, advocates say the six-right story will have advantages. The Cambridge zoning plan requires 20 percent of units in market-rate developments to be affordable. So they say that much taller buildings (even buildings where units are sold at premium prices) will lead to more affordable housing.

It would also enable smaller-scale housing projects, said Siddiqui, who pointed to an old brick row house while walking down Kirkland Avenue.

“We will experience other developments like this,” he said. “The point is, we’re going to allow multifamily housing throughout the city.”

This won’t be Cambridge’s only new affordable housing strategy. Since 2020, the city has allowed builders to go taller if all units in the proposed development rent are below market rate, affordable to people earning incomes at or below 100 percent of the median income in the area. And since last year, these affordable projects Can be up to 15 times high in large squares without city zoning approval.

The debate in Cambridge is unique in its own ways, but it resonates with debates in cities and towns across Massachusetts. Concerns about what gets built where and who decides have come to the fore in housing policy discussions in recent years as the state mandates local zoning reform to help address the housing shortage.

It is unclear how Siddiqui and Azeem’s colleagues will vote next year. But in the meantime, there is no debate in this university city with a population of 120,000. is basically one Among those who can look at the same street and see very different things.

“It would be a failure if it became just another single-family home,” said Azeem of 73 Kirkland. “This city needs so much housing. We can’t afford to waste the little space we have on building.

Looking at the tiny patch of grass and the small house next to it, Blier disagrees.

Simply put, “Not every site is suitable for development,” he said.

Spencer Buell can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @SpencerBuell. Andrew Brinker can be reached at [email protected]. follow him @andrewnbrinker.