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Milton to start losing out on state grants after rejecting law aimed at building more housing
The state’s housing secretary wrote in a letter to town officials that Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is “deeply disappointed” by the outcome of a referendum last week.
In a strongly-worded letter to Milton officials, the state’s housing secretary said the town will start to miss out on state grants after failing to approve a controversial measure that would change zoning bylaws to allow state-mandated multi-family zoning.
In the letter, Edward M. Augustus wrote to Milton Town Administrator Nicholas Milano that Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is “deeply disappointed” by the vote and that the town is now non-compliant with the MBTA Communities law, meaning it will start to miss out on grants “effective immediately.”
“The law is clear — compliance with the MBTA Communities Law is mandatory,” Augustus wrote. “At this time, Milton is the only rapid transit community in Massachusetts that is not in compliance.”
Voters rejects zoning change that would have made town compliant
The law, passed in 2021, requires that communities served by the MBTA have at least one zoning district allowing for multi-family housing near public transit stations.
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A Milton Special Town Meeting approved a zoning bylaw change in December, but advocates against the change petitioned the town to hold a referendum on the issue. Milton town residents voted Feb. 14 to reject a referendum that would have changed the town’s zoning bylaws and put the town in compliance with the act.
In January, the state’s Attorney General Andrea Campbell said that if the town wasn’t in compliance with the act after February’s vote, the state would take legal action to enforce the law. Gov. Maura Healey urged voters to vote yes in the referendum to ensure “housing access across the state.”
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A total of 9,466 ballots were cast in the referendum, with 54% residents casting “no” votes.
“The zoning that town meeting approved in December would have been in interim compliance with the law and would have made significant strides in helping Milton (and Massachusetts) address our housing affordability crisis,” Augustus wrote in the letter. “While we are deeply disappointed that Milton’s zoning plan was rejected by a referendum vote, we are hopeful that we can continue to work with the town to ensure that Milton can achieve compliance with the MBTA Communities law.”
Milton to lose out on infrastructure grants
Because of the vote, Milton will now be ineligible to receive a variety of grants from programs including MassWorks, HousingWorks, and Housing Choice, which help municipalities with public infrastructure projects and housing support. The town will also lose its eligibility for a Seaport Economic Council grant that would fund seawall and access improvements, according to the letter.
Since 2021, Milton has received $1.7 million in state funding for projects that included improvements to street safety and schools, according to a letter sent by Milano to select board members in January.
The state government has “worked diligently” to help Milton comply with the law, “including providing the community with multiple community planning grants totaling $80,000 for technical assistance to help craft the new zoning by-law,” Augustus said in his letter.
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“This law presents a transformative opportunity for 177 communities served by the MBTA to come together to zone for multi-family housing near transit stations to help address the greatest challenge facing our state — the high cost of housing,” he said. “If we do not all come together to build more housing, we will not be able to overcome our affordability crisis. We need every community to do their part.”
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