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Worcester resident Leesandra Morales needs a bigger apartment. A mother of a 13-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, Morales currently lives with her children in a small, one-bedroom apartment for $1,550 a month. The apartment only has three windows and consists of a kitchen and a bedroom, according to Morales. She and her infant son sleep in the bedroom. Her daughter, however, has no bedroom, instead sleeping in the apartment’s closet space. “She is a growing young lady and everything she does is limited,” Morales said. “For example my daughter cannot have company because of how small our living space is.” Morales wants to move out and find a two-bedroom apartment for $1,800 a month. So far, however, she has not been able to find such a place. Morales, whose income comes from Social Security, is also struggling to help pay for her daughter’s sports, as she has to focus on paying her rent and her utilities. “Sometimes, I feel hopeless or as if I’m failing my kids,” Morales said. Morales is one of thousands of people looking for an apartment in Worcester, according to the city’s housing production plan, released in Spring 2025. The plan, which features an analysis from RKG Associates, found that there are not enough homes in Worcester for those with extremely low and extremely high incomes. The analysis states there is a demand for 11,617 new rental units and 687 owner-occupied units in the city. The combination of low housing stock and high demand leads to rising costs and rents, according to the analysis. To meet increasing demand, Worcester will need to create about 12,000 new housing units by 2033, the analysis reads. From 2013 to 2023, Worcester developed an estimated 8,648 housing units, according to U.S. Census data — far fewer than the 12,000 needed in the coming eight years. For Peter Dunn, the city’s chief development officer, he describes the goal as “aggressive” but also achievable. “It’s not an unattainable figure that we have to reach in 2033,” Dunn said. “But it certainly requires a lot of work.” For Dunn, the strategies laid out in the housing production plan are key to helping Worcester reach its goal. Initiated in May 2024 with the help of Boston-based consultant JM Goldson, the production plan is a document that assesses housing needs, identifies priorities for development and creates a vision for future affordable housing in Worcester. Some of the strategies listed include the elimination or significant reduction of parking minimums, an audit of the city’s permitting process to find solutions to expedite approvals for housing construction and adopting zoning citywide to increase Worcester’s ability to build more affordable housing. “We felt like it was important for us knowing where we were as a community,” Dunn said. “Knowing the housing challenges we were facing, as well as the growth that we were experiencing.” For Dunn, the housing production plan isn’t a symbolic gesture, it’s a framework aimed at achieving the goal. “It’s not just something that, you know, looks great,” Dunn said. “We’re intending to hold ourselves accountable on a number of those strategies, certainly those that are within our control.” City to target parking requirements next year One change that aims to increase housing production is the elimination or significant reduction of off-street parking requirements. These requirements, also known as parking minimums, are local regulations that require the development of a specific number of parking spaces for new buildings. The production plan reads that scholars have linked parking minimums to limiting land for development. Some Massachusetts cities, such as Salem and Somerville, have eliminated parking minimums for new developments. While Worcester has eliminated parking requirements in zoning areas for general business, the plan suggests the city should look at other areas where minimums can be either reduced or eliminated. Dunn told MassLive the city administration will submit a recommendation for a zoning ordinance to either significantly reduce or eliminate parking minimums in the city. “It’s not necessarily a clear cut recommendation to eliminate off street parking minimums but certainly reduce them,” Dunn said. In a communication sent to the city council in September, Dunn stressed that the elimination of parking minimums does not mean parking will be eliminated. Instead, the amount of parking developed in Worcester would be dictated by demand for parking rather than arbitrary ratios that are required in developments. Adding housing ‘density’ Another strategy listed in the production plan is the implementation of more density bonuses. Density bonuses allow developers to add height or density to their project in return for providing community benefits, such as affordable housing, according to the production plan. While the city does have a density bonus, it only applies to projects featuring five percent of units available at 60% of the area median income (AMI) or lower, the plan reads. The plan calls for a significantly higher density bonus for units available at 30% of the area median income, meaning $38,600 for a family of four. “As demonstrated in the Housing Needs Assessment, Worcester lacks sufficient housing affordable for Extremely Low Income households (30 percent AMI),” the plan reads. “Similar to homeownership units, additional incentives are likely needed to promote the production of even more deeply affordable units.” Read more: Boston neighbors sue to block family shelter after zoning board approval District 2 Councilor-Elect Rob Bilotta previously told MassLive he supports density bonuses. While the city’s executive office of economic development department will be responsible for implementing a majority of the housing strategies, other departments, including the city council, will play a supporting role in others, such as implementing the density bonuses. “Ultimately, we need to strive for more housing that meets the needs of Worcester families,” Bilotta said. Bilotta did not immediately respond to request for comment on Tuesday. Worcester’s housing challenges The RKG Associates analysis found that 40% of the city’s households spend more than a third of their income on housing. Guidelines set in the 1980s from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines any spending on households over 30% as “housing cost burdened.” The median home values for homeowner units increased by 45.1% over the past ten years, reaching $305,600 in 2022, the analysis reads. Multi-family rents increased from $1,218 to $1,718 over a decade. Despite rising costs, there is still a strong demand for new units, the analysis reads. “Price increases since 2020 can be linked to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the shortage of available housing options in the area,” the report reads. “Job growth in Worcester and the ability to work from home make the city a desirable place to live, particularly for younger professionals who may be priced out of the Boston area but still want to live in a city.” Read more: Project to build 360 housing units in Worcester gets $2M boost from state As of November 2025, the average rent for all bedrooms and all property types in Worcester is $2,100, according to Zillow.com. That’s $100 more expensive than it was in 2024, according to the website. Alana Gordon, a former Worcester resident that now lives in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, said her rent increased from $1,200 to $1,700 after the building was sold. It was because of the rent increases she decided to move to Rhode Island. “I understand that when you look at the average rent in Worcester, it seems on the lower side of what landlords are asking for in the area but many people still can’t afford it,” Gordon said. Worcester also has a low vacancy rate, meaning there are very few apartments that are vacant. A 2024 study from Forbes found 1.7% of all available apartments in the area are currently unoccupied. The study states that a healthy vacancy rate ranges from 5 to 8%. “I think we all recognize that we haven’t been building housing at a rate that is reducing the vacancy rate,” said Leah Bradley, CEO of the Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance. “We’re talking about units for all income levels.” Bradley told MassLive that in order for Worcester to achieve the 12,000 unit goal, elected leaders and the city’s residents need to have the will to move forward on implementing the goals outlined by the housing production plan. She pointed to Austin, Texas, as a place where Worcester can take inspiration from. The Texas city saw rents drop due in part to construction of more housing, the Texas Tribune reported. Bradley argues what happened in Texas can happen in Worcester, if people are ready to make changes. “I do think it’s possible if folks are open to some change around some of the current policies that we have,” Bradley said. Residents express frustration While Worcester residents agree there needs to be more housing, specifically affordable housing, they are frustrated that they cannot afford current rents or find an apartment now. “My current two bedroom apartment was $1,200,” said Worcester resident Matt Caranci. “Then when purchased, (it) went to $1,800. Now in December will be $2,000, that’s essentially $1,000 per bedroom. Ridiculous, especially when the apartment hasn’t had any major upgrades.” Crystal Harmon, another Worcester resident, has been looking for an apartment for six months and has had no success. Harmon receives $7,000 from the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program and she, along with her stepson, have jobs. Even then, she says she still cannot afford an apartment. “I get it takes time to make affordable housing and stuff like that but they should also realize a lot of people don’t have places to go while that is all being done,” Harmon said. Harmon said she isn’t sure what can be done in the meantime to help those looking for affordable housing. Caranci, meanwhile says there should be price caps on rent based on people’s income. “There’s no reason for tenants of all types to be pushed to the end of means when income doesn’t increase,” he said. “This includes able-bodied workers too of course.” A proposed ballot question for the 2026 general election would repeal a state-wide ban on local rent control laws. It would also set a limit on annual rent increases of 5% or the rate of inflation, depending upon which is lower, according to the ballot question. For Morales, however, she’s skeptical affordable apartments in Worcester will be affordable for her. “A one-bedroom (apartment) shouldn’t be any more than $1,000 with nothing included in that,” she said.
