The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is suing the town of Milton after voters in the community voted down a multi-family housing district that would have complied with the MBTA Communities Law.Milton is one of approximately 177 communities subject to the MBTA Communities Law and one of 12 that had a deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to enact a compliant zoning district. “The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our regionwide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory,” AG Andrea Campbell said.The town of Milton developed a compliant zoning district to submit to the state, but in February, voters in the town overturned it. “The housing affordability crisis affects all of us: families who face impossible choices between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are driven away by the cost, and a growing workforce we cannot house,” Campbell said.”We are reviewing the complaint filed by the Attorney General and we look forward to defending the town. The Milton Select Board is meeting (Tuesday night) to discuss the complaint and the town’s next steps,” Milton Town Administrator Nicholas Milano said in a statement. Last week, Gov. Maura Healey’s office said since Milton was not in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, it will lose out on state grant funding.Residents in Milton voted “no” to a controversial plan that encourages the development of multifamily housing in areas of the Massachusetts town near public transit.In a letter to Town Administrator Nicholas Milano, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus confirmed that Milton will no longer be eligible for a recent $140,800 grant for seawall and access improvements, which was contingent upon compliance with the law. The town will also not be eligible to receive MassWorks and HousingWorks grants and will be at a competitive disadvantage for many other state grant programs. The MBTA Communities Law was passed in January 2021 under the administration of former Gov. Charlie Baker with near-unanimous support from the Massachusetts Legislature.The law requires MBTA communities to establish multifamily zoning no more than half a mile from a commuter rail station, ferry terminal, or bus station, and the zoning districts must have no age restrictions and must be sustainable for families with children. The Mattapan trolley line runs along Milton’s northern boundary with Boston.In December 2023, Milton Town Meeting voters approved zoning changes that allow for more multifamily housing so that the town could comply with the MBTA Communities Law.But opponents said the plan, which would have increased housing units by up to 25% in Milton, is unfair, particularly to the neighborhood of East Milton, where a commuter parking lot could become an apartment building with 530 residences.According to the unofficial results from Wednesday’s townwide referendum, there were 5,115 Milton residents who voted “no” while 4,346 others voted “yes.”Video: Town loses grant after voters reject MBTA housing plan
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office is suing the town of Milton after voters in the community voted down a multi-family housing district that would have complied with the MBTA Communities Law.
Milton is one of approximately 177 communities subject to the MBTA Communities Law and one of 12 that had a deadline of Dec. 31, 2023, to enact a compliant zoning district.
“The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our regionwide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory,” AG Andrea Campbell said.
The town of Milton developed a compliant zoning district to submit to the state, but in February, voters in the town overturned it.
“The housing affordability crisis affects all of us: families who face impossible choices between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are driven away by the cost, and a growing workforce we cannot house,” Campbell said.
“We are reviewing the complaint filed by the Attorney General and we look forward to defending the town. The Milton Select Board is meeting (Tuesday night) to discuss the complaint and the town’s next steps,” Milton Town Administrator Nicholas Milano said in a statement.
Last week, Gov. Maura Healey’s office said since Milton was not in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, it will lose out on state grant funding.
Residents in Milton voted “no” to a controversial plan that encourages the development of multifamily housing in areas of the Massachusetts town near public transit.
In a letter to Town Administrator Nicholas Milano, Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus confirmed that Milton will no longer be eligible for a recent $140,800 grant for seawall and access improvements, which was contingent upon compliance with the law.
The town will also not be eligible to receive MassWorks and HousingWorks grants and will be at a competitive disadvantage for many other state grant programs.
The MBTA Communities Law was passed in January 2021 under the administration of former Gov. Charlie Baker with near-unanimous support from the Massachusetts Legislature.
The law requires MBTA communities to establish multifamily zoning no more than half a mile from a commuter rail station, ferry terminal, or bus station, and the zoning districts must have no age restrictions and must be sustainable for families with children.
The Mattapan trolley line runs along Milton’s northern boundary with Boston.
In December 2023, Milton Town Meeting voters approved zoning changes that allow for more multifamily housing so that the town could comply with the MBTA Communities Law.
But opponents said the plan, which would have increased housing units by up to 25% in Milton, is unfair, particularly to the neighborhood of East Milton, where a commuter parking lot could become an apartment building with 530 residences.
According to the unofficial results from Wednesday’s townwide referendum, there were 5,115 Milton residents who voted “no” while 4,346 others voted “yes.”
Video: Town loses grant after voters reject MBTA housing plan