Praise, Not Punishment, Highlighted In New MBTA Zoning Pitch

AG Laments MBTA Communities Act Not Getting “The “Attention and Narrative it Deserves”

May 6, 2024….Amid a crucial town meeting season for eastern Massachusetts cities and towns that are required to comply with the state’s new multifamily zoning law, there’s been a bit of a tone shift among top state leaders in recent days — pivoting from highlighting the consequences of noncompliance to showering praise on municipalities that do what the law requires.

Gov. Maura Healey’s administration has revoked state grant money from Milton and Attorney General Andrea Campbell is suing the town over its noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Act, a 2021 law that requires cities and towns near T service to adopt zoning that allows multifamily housing by right in certain areas. A handful of other communities have put up signs of resistance, including Wrentham and Marshfield. The Boston Globe reported that residents in Rockport are also resisting the change.

But as more and more communities required to be in compliance by the end of this year hold town meetings and prepare the votes necessary to comply this spring, Healey and Campbell have recently focused more on the towns doing what is expected of them rather than warning of the punishments on the table.

In a short video posted to X on Friday, Campbell addressed young people in particular about the MBTA Communities Act, “which I don’t think is getting the attention and the narrative that it deserves, which should be a positive one.”

The AG gave shout-outs to the municipalities that voted last week to approve zoning plans in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act — Newbury, Hingham, Andover, Concord, Rockport and Winchester — and praised residents and local officials for their work.

Without directly mentioning the lawsuit she filed against Milton when its residents voted not to comply with the law, Campbell lamented that the towns in compliance aren’t getting much attention.

“Sadly, I think this narrative is being lost. The momentum is there, the progress that communities are making is also there. And we also expect next week more communities to vote into compliance. And so I’m getting out here to celebrate those communities,” she said. “As we work to address our housing crisis in Massachusetts — and we certainly have one — this law is certainly an effective tool to do that. And I’m proud of these communities, and the residents are working hard to do it every single day.”

On Monday, Healey and a large contingent of her administration were in Lynn to kick-off a multi-week, statewide housing campaign that could overlap with the Legislature’s consideration of the governor’s $4.1 billion housing bond and policy bill. In addition to highlighting her plans to energize housing production, the governor’s office said Healey would also “applaud the communities that have complied or are on the path to complying with the MBTA Communities Law.”