Zoning/Housing Alert: Ask You Rep to sign the Kulik/peake letter
On May 9, State Representatives Steve Kulik and Sarah Peake outlined a package of important zoning and housing production reforms that House members can coalesce around. Please call and email your State Rep today and ask him/her to join the Kulik-Peake zoning reform/housing letter!
| Click here to go to the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance’s online tool for contacting your State Rep |
With less than 3 months before the legislative term ends, now is the time for the House to put a zoning reform/housing bill on the floor for a vote. At the Great Neighborhoods State House event on May 9, Representatives Kulik and Peake identified a package of reforms that can make a difference in building more housing in sensible locations, provide municipalities with tools to plan for the future, and help preserve the environment. These reforms include:
| Simple majority approval for zoning improvements and special permits that help to produce and preserve housing |
| Local option inter-municipal agreements to share costs and revenue from development |
| A training program for residents who serve on local planning and zoning boards. Funding has been included in a supplemental budget and will be distributed through the Department of Housing and Community Development |
| Expediting certain kinds of appeals by limiting court review to whether or not the permit decision was made appropriately |
| A mediation process at a local level to resolve permitting disputes |
| When a zoning change is considered, requiring the planning board to provide an advisory report on whether the proposed change is consistent with the master plan |
| Providing notice to the board of health when a development project application is submitted to a municipality |
| Authorizing “site plan review,” a tool that helps communities improve project design while ensuring prompt approval for developers |
| Making it easier for developers to “cluster” homes in a subdivision to conserve land and reduce construction costs |
| Enabling more single family homeowners to create a modest “accessory apartment” within the homes for relatives, caretakers, or rental |
| Extending the time for municipalities to exercise a right of first refusal to purchase agricultural land or recreational land |
| Reform of unregulated “Approval Not Required” development if a community is willing to adopt a Minor Subdivision Ordinance or By-Law |
| Encouraging more multifamily housing in sensible locations |
| Clarifying that discriminatory actions in zoning and permitting are not allowed under Massachusetts law |
| Establishing sensible parameters for property owners to vest their property rights, which will encourage municipalities to update their zoning |
Here’s the simple message: Let’s get behind a zoning reform and housing bill now! Join the Kulik-Peake letter! (And, if your State Rep has already signed, thank you for your leadership!)
| Click here to go to the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance’s online tool for contacting your State Rep about the letter! |