By Tatylor Fruzetti
Express corrwspondent
Many Massachusetts communities will be faced with a decision by the end of the year – whether or not to follow the 2021 law to implement zoning for multi-family housing for communities that have commuter rail stations or are adjacent to them.
According to the mass.gov website, the new law requires MBTA communities to “have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right.”
The law is intended to address the housing crisis in Massachusetts and approximately 177 communities are subject to the MBTA Communities Law according to the state’s website.
The Multi-Family Zoning Requirement also calls for these housing communities to have a minimum gross density of 15 units per acre, the housing must be no more than 0.5 miles from a commuter rail station, subway station, etc., and no age restrictions.
Communities that benefit from the MBTA, and communities adjacent to MBTA communities, are being told that they must adopt the new zoning changes by Dec. 31, 2024 or else they will no longer be eligible for funds from the Housing Choice Initiative, the Local Capital Projects Fund, or the MassWorks infrastructure program.
Additionally, towns that fail to comply with the zoning changes may be subjected to civil enforcement per the state’s website.
On Feb. 14 2024, the Town of Milton held a special election to vote on the issue and ultimately overturned the MBTA Communities Multi-Family Overlay District which originally passed at a special town meeting on Dec. 11 2023.
The vote took Milton out of compliance with the state law, resulting in Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell filing suit against the town of Milton on Feb. 27, according to a press release from the Office of the Attorney General.
“The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our region-wide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory,” said Campbell in the press release.
“Hanson is going to continue to move forward with creating the zoning for the MBTA requirement until a judgment of the Court directs otherwise,” said Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. “Something to understand is that we are simply creating the zoning, not the housing.”
Green said that Town Meeting will be provided with all the facts and will vote on the zoning changes.
“There must be an understanding that all towns are subject to legal action by the state for not complying with the legislation,” said Green. “The residents who attend Town Meeting and vote on the article will have to decide whether they prefer spending taxpayer dollars on legal fees to defend the town against a suit by the Attorney General’s Office and lose thousands of dollars in grants, or simply vote to create the zoning and benefit from the thousands of dollars of grants.”
Mary Beth Carter, Whitman’s Town Administrator, said the town is planning to put this proposed zoning by-law amendment on the May 6, 2024 Annual Town Meeting warrant. “I found it surprising, however Milton’s decision not to comply with this mandate has no influence on what will be decided in Whitman,” she told The Express. “Once the by-law is accepted, that may bring forth housing projects that up until now would not have been possible.”
According to Halifax Town Administrator Cody Haddad, the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee is looking to find a solution that would have a minimal impact on the town, but also allow for the town to be compliant with the MBTA Zoning Requirement.
“The situation in Milton, in my eyes, only further affirms that the state will continue to make this requirement a priority and towns that do not comply, will be penalized,” said Haddad. “We are cognizant of the state’s concern regarding the housing crisis facing Massachusetts, but we are also aware of what the Halifax community desires for their town.”
Haddad said that the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee will likely present their findings at the Fall Town Meeting.
“This topic can be controversial to many residents who are concerned that the zoning requirements could change the look and feel of a community, and impact several town services, including schools,” said Kingston Town Administrator Keith Hickey. “I am not sure of the reasons why Milton voted the zoning down but will be looking into why the sentiment of the voters was, if Kingston can learn from what occurred in Milton, we will do that.”
Hickey said that he plans to present the initial recommendations of Kingston’s MBTA subcommittee to the Selectmen at their meeting on March 12.
“Once the MBTA overlay district is finalized staff will have several informational meetings, website postings and informational tv shows on PACTV to introduce and discuss what is being proposed,” said Hickey.
Hickey said that the vote on the MBTA overlay district will be at the Fall Town Meeting.
“Hanson is going to continue to move forward with creating the zoning for the MBTA requirement until a judgment of the Court directs otherwise,” said Hanson Town Administrator Lisa Green. “Something to understand is that we are simply creating the zoning, not the housing.”
Green said that Town Meeting will be provided with all the facts and will vote on the zoning changes.
“There must be an understanding that all towns are subject to legal action by the state for not complying with the legislation,” said Green. “The residents who attend Town Meeting and vote on the article will have to decide whether they prefer spending taxpayer dollars on legal fees to defend the town against a suit by the Attorney General’s Office and lose thousands of dollars in grants, or simply vote to create the zoning and benefit from the thousands of dollars of grants.”
Plympton Town Administrator Elizabeth Dennehy said that Plympton has received a technical assistant grant award which it has used to acquire the services of Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Devellopment District (SPREDD) who will assist the Town with drafting a zoning overlay-type district that will be in compliance with the Commonwealth’s guidelines. Once drafted, this would go through the normal process for review and potential adoption of the zoning bylaw edits. Dennehy said she doesn’t expect a vote will take place until the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

WHITMAN – While the nation seems to grow further divided with each passing day, a group of Whitman residents have looked to area towns for an idea aimed at bringing residents together.
It’s called the Whitman Freedom Team (WFT), and perhaps the holiday season is the best time to explore it.
Former teacher and principal Thomas Evans, and School Committee member Steve Bois are heading up the project, based on similar efforts in Natick and Scituate. There is no limit foreseen regarding the number of people who might choose to become involved, to aid in drawing on expertise specific to a situation.
Evans pointed to the fact that he and Bois are on opposite ends of the political spectrum.
“He’s a very dear friend of mine, he’s very fair, and that’s what I want,” he said. “I don’t want people to agree with me, I want people to tell me what the problem is, define it and then go to reconciliation.”
Select Board Chair Dr. Carl Kowalski said both Bois’ and Evans’ involvement speak well of the program.
“My attitude about finance committees changed when Steve became the chair of the Finance Committee,” Kowalski said. “And you, Tom, absolutely best principal I have ever seen.”
“You don’t know any others,” Evans said.
“I know a few,” Kowalski said. “To have you as the headpin on this will work out perfectly and I’m looking forward to working with you.”
The freedom team mission: “to preserve freedom through unity in the community,” according to Scituate’s website scituatefreedom.org.
“This is something that is going to take a while to germinate and to become official,” Evans said in his first public opportunity to discuss the program and its aims. “It’s something I’ve been working on since last March after watching a TEDXNatic talk on the program presented by Jamele Adams. TED Talks are influential videos from expert speakers on education, business, science, tech and creativity. The X in the program’s title denotes it is an independently organized TED event. A former dean of students at Brandeis University Adams is the first Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Scituate School District in Scituate.
He gave the TED talk in Natick, dedicated to inspiring others to “be L.I.T.” – as love, inclusion and trust are keys to bringing communities together.
“We’re going to do it,” Evans said. “The more we talk about things and the more that we talk about how our country is, is moving toward being as good as we can be. We can help with that.”
Evans said Adams was not only passionate about the idea of Freedom Teams, but was also willing to help people form teams in their own communities. When no intervention is needed, they discuss ways to improve their communities.
“That’s why I’m here tonight, because of my friend, Jamele Adams,” Evams said, noting that Adams, of Franklin, has been very supportive of his efforts to form a team in Whitman. “My hope is that those who might be interested in helping in making the WFT a reality will give me a call and then we’ll go from there.”
While he supplied the Select Board with some information on what a freedom team is, he began his remarks on Tuesday, Dec. 5 by stressing what it is not.
“It’s not political,” Evans said. “It’s not partisan and it’s not a law-enforcement agency. The WFT is made up of Whitman volunteers and is based on the 10-point communal engagement model that roots pillars of the community, and people central in the community as a team dedicated to love, inclusion and trust. It might sound corny, but that’s what we’re about.”
While not a law-enforcement agency, Evans said the key to the team’s success will be the police chief, a person trained in what is lawful and whose expertise the team would defer to in such matters.
Chief Timothy Hanlon, for example, has advised that should the WFT set up a hotline number as Scituate has, it cannot be affiliated with the police department because of town liability issues.
Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter and Superintendent of Schools Jeff Szymaniak have also had helpful discussions with the team, Evans said.
“The superintendent … has offered us support,” Evans said noting issues often come to the attention of freedom teams through the schools. “He has allowed [Director of Equity and MTSS] Dr. Nicole Semas-Schneeweis … to speak with students who are interested in getting involved.”
Parents, a lawyer, clergy, and local political officials (including three Select Board members) are involved. Evans said he is working to include a social media expert, a mental health clinician trained in trauma and multicultural lenses and a transformational justice facilitator.
“We hope that more people will learn about this will learn about it, respond to it and come forward,” he said. “Tonight is just the beginning. There’s still much more to do before the Whitman Freedom Team becomes a reality, but rest assured, it will happen.”
The WFT is also working to organize as a 501 (c)3 non profit, which will allow it to stay independent of the town, raise funds to finance some of its goals and programs.
Select Board member Shawn Kain, who does similar work professionally, urged caution in dealing with people in crisis, even as he supported the effort.
“Point well taken,” Evans said, noting that members of any organization should know their limits.
Police chiefs in Franklin and Natick have been supportive of their communities’ freedom teams and the positive impact they have seen from the teams’ work.
“The Freedom Team assists in helping our community heal when needed, and will join the network of the freedom teams, of which Whitman will be number eight,” Evans said. “It exists to listen and facilitate discussions for individuals and groups, encouraging people to be ‘up-standers,’ not by-standers in interrupting racism, bigotry and prejudice wherever it’s encountered, preserving freedom through unity and a commitment to gaining new understanding in the community.”
Those goals have been adopted from the teams in Scituate and Natick.
While Evans said he is not looking to be the only person making decisions in the team but he has suggested the motto: “Find a Way,” in memory of the late J.P. Drier, a young man who had so much to give to our community. The former W-H student athlete died from complications of Type 1 diabetes in July.
“The mission of the Whitman Freedom Team is to preserve freedom through unity in the community,” he said. The team will meet monthly, usually via Zoom, to explore ways of offering dialog in support of individuals and the entire community in the goal of moving beyond tolerance to celebrate and share the community’s diversity.
“We’re beginning to change, and we need to change,” he said. “We can be different, but we can also work together.”
Evans said he was advised by the seven other freedom teams in eastern Massachusetts – including Natick (where the first team was started in 2016), Hingham, Frankin. Hopkinton and Scituate – to adopt some of their organizational frameworks and goals. rather than trying to reinvent the wheel.
“Once we’ve formed officially, the members will decide what the wording should be, but this is where we’re starting” he said.
When a report of hate, bias-motivated threats, harassment or violence related to race, color, sex, gender, gender or sexual identity, age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability or class, is received by the team it will offer a safe, private and respectful place to discuss such an incident, using a transformative justice model.
“We respond to violence without creating more violence,” Evans said. “We are trying to be healing – having parties come together, be educated and de-escalate situations.”