Vote Yes and No signs near the Cunningham Park Community Center in Milton on Feb. 14, 2024. opening the town to legal challenges with the state. The plan would have brought Milton into compliance with a law that requires cities and towns along MBTA corridors to allow for higher density housing.
The voter comes as soaring real estate prices and a shortage of available homes are making buying houses less accessible in Massachusetts. The MBTA Communities Act was signed into law in 2021 by then-Gov. Charlie Baker to allow for more multifamily development in communities served by the T. It's being implemented in three phases — the 12 communities with access to rapid transit lines were required to be in compliance by the end of 2023.
"This is not only a loss for Milton but for our entire state, as we desperately need more housing near transit to lower cost," Augustus said.State officials have previously said there will be consequences for communities that do not comply with the MBTA Communities Act and open up multifamily housing zoning. Milton was the only town in the first phase of the law's implementation that did not adjust its zoning laws.
The law has a been a point of contention in multiple communities around Greater Boston serviced by the MBTA. Newton passed new multifamily zoning rules in late 2023 to come into compliance, but a city councilor who pushed for the measures was