Needham votes against plan to comply with MBTA Communities Law as state files guidelines
NEEDHAM - Needham residents have voted against the town's plan to comply with the MBTA Communities Law, even as the state filed emergency regulations intended to enforce the rules.
According to preliminary special election results, nearly 7,000 voters rejected new zoning laws to allow more housing near the town's Commuter Rail stops, versus about 5,000 who would have approved them.
MBTA Communities Law
The law that requires towns benefiting from MBTA service to permit more multi-family zoning to address the state's housing crisis was recently upheld as constitutional by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. But the court said that guidelines for towns affected by the law were not filed properly, making them unenforceable.
Gov. Maura Healey's administration said Tuesday that those guidelines have been re-filed.
"These regulations will allow us to continue moving forward with implementation of the MBTA Communities Law, which will increase housing production and lower costs across the state," Healey said in a statement.
6 months to comply
The state is giving municipalities that failed to meet earlier deadlines six more months to comply. Small towns that are adjacent to communities serviced by the MBTA have to adopt new zoning laws by Dec. 31, 2025.
The state's high court ruled that the attorney general can enforce the law against cities and towns that do not cooperate. The state has also pulled grants from the town of Milton when voters there rejected the law.
Before the extension was announced, 31 communities along the MBTA were considered non-compliant. More than 100 already approved plans to zone for more housing, while 28 still have time to meet their deadlines.