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Tell us: Should Mass. commuter towns comply with or reject the MBTA Communities Act?
As more than 130 towns approach their end-of-2024 deadline to file denser zoning plans with the state, many are rejecting such changes. What should your town do?
In Massachusetts, housing is king. We all want it, but can we get it? The quest for housing that is available and affordable can be an elusive endeavor – if not impossible. The region’s high cost of living, housing shortage, high sticker prices, and land-use rules left unchanged for decades have come together to form a perfect, painful storm for many Massachusetts residents.
But a contentious state law could change all of that by ushering in the biggest wave of municipal zoning reform in recent memory. That’s if the more than 177 cities and towns required to submit zoning plans by the law comply, of course.
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The MBTA Communities Law requires 177 cities and towns served by or located not more than half a mile from the T to zone for more multifamily housing. About 130 of them have an end-of-2024 deadline to approve new zoning rules that would allow for denser multifamily housing. Advocates and policymakers hope that the law will add more apartments and condominiums to the development-stalled region, and will help make a dent in the region’s housing shortage.
But the law has faced fierce resistance from many communities, such as Milton, Marblehead, and Holden, all of which have rejected proposed zoning changes. Opponents of the law say the state is overstepping and the law will change their town’s identity. On the other hand, proponents say the law is needed to address the state’s housing crisis, which they say is a responsibility all cities and towns should carry.
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In Milton, one of the first communities required to comply with the law, 54% of voters chose to reject changes to existing bylaws that would have brought the town into compliance. As a result, Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit against the town for missing its deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, with the backing of Gov. Maura Healey.
“The housing affordability crisis affects all of us: families who face impossible choices between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are driven away by the cost, and a growing workforce we cannot house,” Campbell said in a statement. “The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our region-wide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory.”
Earlier this month, the Marblehead Town Meeting rejected a proposal that would have brought the town into compliance with state law. If it does not comply by the end of the year, it could lose state funding and face a legal battle with the attorney general.
We want to know: Should MBTA communities comply with or reject the law’s zoning requirements?
If you live in one of the towns required to rezone, what’s your take? If you’re looking for affordable housing, or are affected by the housing crisis, how will the law effect you? What do you make of towns rejecting rezoning proposals?
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