The cities and towns that voted for new zoning are Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Milton, Newton, Quincy, Revere and Somerville. With the new zoning plans, the communities will allow for a combined capacity of over 83,000 units, according to advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts.
“These communities are leading the way in saying yes to more housing. Zoning alone will not solve our shortage, but it is a critical tool for eliminating barriers to creating more housing in the places people want to live,” Lily Linke, MBTA communities engagement manager at Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association, said in a statement.
The 2021 MBTA Communities Act mandates 177 communities in the state — those with at least one transit stop or one within a half-mile radius — to zone for more by right housing. The law aims to address the state’s housing crisis, especially in communities that have historically pushed back on new multifamily development. Any communities that don’t comply with the law will risk legal action and lose state funding opportunities.
Source: Here’s Where Developers Can Build Thousands Of Units Under New MBTA Zoning Plans
