Political lessons learned from the initial MBTA Communities Act Rollout

Abstract

In response to the region’s growing housing crisis, Massachusetts passed the MBTA Communities Act (MBTA-C) in 2021. The law requires all communities served by the region’s mass transit system to revise their zoning to allow an increased amount of housing close to transit. Specifically, the state mandates1: (1) Minimum gross density of 15 units per acre (2) Located not more than 0.5 miles from a commuter rail station, subway station, ferry terminal or bus station, if applicable (3) No age restrictions and suitable for families with children. The state required that communities served by the MBTA’s rapid transit system pass zoning changes complying with the state law by December 31, 2023. These “rapid transit communities” spent the year drafting, reviewing, discussing, and debating these plans across dozens of public meetings before voting on them in Fall and Winter 2023.

As part of the Boston University Initiative on Cities’ MetroBridge Program, students in the political science seminar Inequality in American Politics partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), to analyze the initial implementation of this policy in Arlington, Brookline, Milton, and Newton. Students attended public hearings and town meetings, interviewed local officials and advocates on both sides of the debate, reviewed previous meetings and plans, and observed local online forums. This report summarizes four key recommendations from this first year of implementation.