Should your city comply with the MBTA Communities Act?

Tell us

In Massachusetts, housing is king. We all want it, but can we get it? Finding available and inexpensive housing may be an elusive endeavor—if not unattainable. The region's high cost of living, housing shortages, high sticker prices, and land-use rules which have remained unchanged for a long time have created an ideal, painful storm for a lot of Massachusetts residents.

But a controversial state law could change all that by ushering in the most important wave of municipal development reforms in recent times. This is, after all, provided that the greater than 177 cities and municipalities which might be required by law to submit development plans comply with them.

The MBTA Community Act requires 177 cities and towns served by or inside a half-mile of the T-to zone to create more multifamily housing. About 130 of them have a deadline of the tip of 2024 to approve recent zoning rules that might allow for denser multifamily housing. Advocates and policymakers hope the law will bring more apartments and condos to the underdeveloped region and help curb the world's housing shortage.

But the law faced fierce opposition Resistance from many communitieslike Milton, Marblehead and heldall of which have opposed proposed zoning changes. Opponents of the law say the state is overstepping boundaries and the law will change their city's identity. On the opposite hand, supporters say the law is needed to deal with the state's housing crisis, which they are saying is a responsibility all cities and towns should bear.

In Milton, one in all the primary communities required to comply with the law, 54% of voters rejected changes to existing statutes that might have made the town comply with the law. Attorney General Andrea Campbell then filed a lawsuit legal motion against the town for missing its December 31, 2023 deadline with the support of Gov. Maura Healey.

“The housing affordability crisis affects us all: families facing the impossible choice between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are pushed out by costs, and a growing workforce “We can’t accommodate,” Campbell said in a single opinion“The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to meet our regional housing needs and it is imperative that we comply with it.”

Earlier this month, the Marblehead Town Council rejected a proposal that might have brought the town into compliance with state law. If it doesn't comply by yr's end, it could lose state funding and face a legal battle with the state attorney general.

We need to know: Should MBTA communities comply or reject the law's zoning requirements?

If you reside in one in all the cities requiring rezoning, what do you concentrate on it? How will the law impact you in the event you are in search of inexpensive housing or are affected by the housing crisis? What do you concentrate on cities rejecting rezoning proposals?

Let us know by filling out the shape or sending us an email at [email protected]and your response may appear in a future Boston.com article.