Non-compliant MBTA communities given more time to add multi-family zoning.

Fifteen Massachusetts communities failed to meet the compliance deadline for the MBTA Communities Act. In response, Attorney General Andrea Campbell issued a legal advisory announcing that the state will postpone any litigation against these non-compliant communities until January 1, 2026. Although legal action has been delayed, communities that missed the July 14 deadline lost eligibility for certain state grant funding opportunities.

The MTA Communities Act mandated that municipalities served by commuter rail stations must have at least one “reasonably sized district where multifamily housing can be built.” In June, a Massachusetts Superior Court judge affirmed the law, denying exemption to several Massachusetts towns that claimed the law’s requirement to adopt multifamily zoning districts would create additional costs.
“The MBTA Communities Act is an essential tool for creating the homes that people, our communities and our economy need to thrive,” Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association CEO Rachel Heller said in a press release. “We applaud Attorney General Campbell for her commitment to enforcing state housing laws so that all people have opportunities to find homes they can afford in communities they choose.”

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