Celebrating Progress on MBTA Communities
By Sukanya Sharma, Senior Regional Land Use Planner, and Matt Walsh, Government Affairs Policy Analyst II
October 16, 2024 – On October 1, MAPC joined Governor Maura Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, Secretary Ed Augustus, and local leaders to celebrate a major milestone: 33 communities in the MAPC region are now compliant with the MBTA Communities Law. Along with this celebration, the Administration announced the launch of a new $15 million MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund to support the housing and infrastructure needs of communities that comply with the law. This funding is crucial to ensuring that these zoning changes lead to real, on-the-ground progress toward producing the housing residents need.
We commend the Healey-Driscoll Administration for their leadership on implementation of the law and applaud the hard work of local governments and community members across our region in advancing these necessary zoning reforms. So far, 75 municipalities across eastern Massachusetts have made zoning changes to comply with the law, and MAPC is proud to count so many of the communities we serve among them.
While the work ahead to build the housing people need across our region is substantial, these zoning reforms and the funding committed by the Administration to support them establish a strong foundation for the work ahead. The MBTA Communities Law, paired with investments and policy tools made available through the Affordable Homes Act, provides a clear roadmap to a future with greater housing opportunity and stability for all.
In 2017, the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition (MMC), a group of 17 inner core municipalities* convened by MAPC, established a Regional Housing Task Force, which set an ambitious housing production goal of 185,000 new units between 2015 and 2030. The Task Force subsequently identified more than 100 strategies to streamline housing production, preserve existing affordable units, and prevent displacement in furtherance of this goal. As a result, these municipalities have produced 50,000 housing units since 2015, even though the enormous challenges of the pandemic. However, even with these impressive results, both MAPC and the Metro Mayors Coalition recognize that more must be done to meet residents’ housing needs.
MAPC is excited to support our communities through the next wave of town meetings this fall, where even more communities across our region will work to approve multi-family zoning in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law and to expand housing choices in more neighborhoods. We remain committed to providing technical assistance and resources to help municipalities navigate these zoning reforms and meet their local housing needs. We encourage municipal staff, officials, and community members to explore the tools and resources available by visiting our resources page linked here and by reaching out to MAPC staff contacts listed on the page.
Both leadership and staff at MAPC look forward to continued partnerships with the Administration and all our member municipalities to keep the momentum of MBTA Communities compliance going and make the housing opportunities these reforms enable a reality for residents across the region. This moment, where so much has been achieved through collective action, is a reminder that collaboration is the key to resolving our regional challenges. While the work before us is substantial, so too are the partnerships and resources available to accomplish this work.
*The Metro Mayors Coalition housing production goal applies to the Coalition’s 15 member communities at the time the goal was set: Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, and Winthrop. Watertown and Lynn joined the Metro Mayors Coalition in 2023 and 2024 respectively, after these goals were adopted.