Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- As some communities push back on the MBTA Communities law, advocates say it's a critical step toward increasing development. Luc Schuster, executive director of the Boston Indicators Research Center at the Boston Foundation, argues everyone is making a bigger deal out of the law than is warranted. "The way the law is written, it only applies to a very small percentage of land area in any given city or town."

MILTON --- Two weeks after town voters rejected a zoning plan that would have complied with the MBTA Communities Act, Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a lawsuit against the town. Campbell’s suit asks a judge to affirm that MBTA Communities and the guidelines created by the state’s housing office are mandatory and that Milton be given three months to pass a compliant zoning district. If the town does not meet that deadline, the suit asks a judge to prevent the town from enforcing any existing local zoning rules that are inconsistent with the town’s MBTA Communities obligation.

WRENTHAM --- Town Select Board members are considering fighting a state law that requires communities near MBTA train stations to allow more affordable housing. Wrentham is considered an MBTA Adjacent Community. Select Board members are scheduled to vote Tuesday, February 27, on whether to sign and send letters opposing the law to Gov. Maura Healey and Wrentham state house representatives. Some local officials contend the law is an unfunded mandate.

MILTON --- By a substantial margin, Milton residents voted to overturn the town’s state-mandated zoning plan. The vote represents a setback to the Healey administration’s efforts to tackle the state’s housing crisis and could also prompt legal action from the state if the town does not find a way to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. “Today’s vote is disappointing," said Governor Healey, "but we will continue to make the case for every community to embrace the opportunity that comes with creating more housing and making it more affordable for all.”

NEWTON --- Deborah Crossley, longtime Newton city councilor had spent years working on a plan to open the city’s village centers to new housing development. Residents turned against her in the city elections in November, Crossley and two other councilors who supported the zoning plan were voted out.

MILTON --- If in a referendum vote on February 13, town residents decide to overturn the MBTA Communities law, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and advocacy groups have said they will sue.