Massachusetts TOD Law Yielding Results

Massachusetts communities are responding in varied ways to the state’s MBTA Communities Act, a zoning reform mandate that calls on cities to streamline permitting for residential developments near transit stations.

As Abby Patkin explains in an article for Boston.com, some cities, like Milton, are fighting the state’s effort to boost the housing supply, while others are embracing the change and making way for higher-density housing. “Take Lexington, where housing proposals have begun pouring in. Or Westwood, which recently saw a 160-unit mixed-use project break ground. Somerville, meanwhile, is in the midst of a triple-decker renaissance.” In Lexington, the seven proposals submitted to the city would create 960 total new housing units. The town is working with developers to conduct water and sewer capacity analyses in advance of construction to ensure local infrastructure can handle the new housing.

The law requires the 177 communities served by MBTA transit lines to adjust zoning around stations to allow for higher-density multifamily housing. “Whether the law will be as transformative as lawmakers hoped remains to be seen, though affordable housing advocates say it’s a step in the right direction,” Patkin adds.

Zoning expert Amy Dain notes that while MBTA Communities could make a major impact on the housing supply, it won’t be enough to end the housing crisis. “[E]ven if MBTA Communities is fully implemented, there’s going to be more work ahead to make sure there’s housing for everybody, and appropriate housing, safe housing, diverse housing, and housing in places where people want to live and have access to jobs and schools and places they want to go to.”