During an appearance on yesterday’s Daily Pulse podcast, Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen briefly touched on the MBTA Communities Law while addressing the town’s housing efforts.
Today, Cohen and the town were formally notified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities that they have been determined to be compliant with the law.
EOHLC agreed with Chelmsford’s application and concurred with it’s submission that the overlay district is comprised of 102.1 acres, features a multi-family unit capacity of 1,520 and a gross density of 17.7 units per acre. The State’s minimum requirements are 50-acres, capacity of 1,477 and density of 15 unites per acre.
The notification came in a letter from Housing Secretary Ed Augustus, which also mentioned the town is now eligible for grants from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Communities Catalyst Fund.
The MBTA Communities Act, also known as Section 3A of the state’s zoning law, is a Massachusetts law requiring cities and towns served by the MBTA to create zoning districts where multi-family housing is allowed by-right, meaning without special permits or waivers. This initiative aims to address the state’s housing shortage by promoting density and transit-oriented development near public transit.
Many communities are pushing back on the law, refusing to adopt the requirements or submit an application for review. Among the towns we cover at InsideLowell, Dracut and Tewksbury are two of them.
