Marblehead has been in the news recently for passing a much-delayed and toothless plan to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. As a reminder, the MBTA Communities Act, also known as Section 3A, is a state law that requires communities served by the T to legalize at least some multifamily housing. Marblehead, having missed several deadlines, finally complied this month by changing the zoning of a tony golf course to allow multifamily housing.
Of course, because the land is already being used as a golf course, actual construction of multifamily housing is extremely unlikely.
The reason this is in the news is that someone actually said the quiet part out loud: “Are we kinda bein pricks?” asked a local named David Modica during a public meeting. “Are we trying to do nothing?” Yes, Marblehead’s plan, compliant on paper, does nothing.
If you missed the whole thing, news coverage of the emperor’s-new-clothes moment has come from the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, the Marblehead Independent, most of your usual land use policy wonk newsletters, and, perhaps most importantly, Matt Shearer of WBZ.
This viral moment is a reminder that the housing crisis is regional in nature, and that every city and town needs to work, and keep working, to address it.
Somerville could have passed a similarly “compliant” rule by designating Assembly Square as our MBTA Communities district, a change that would meet the letter of the law without spurring any new construction. Instead, our city council took the law’s intent into account and adjusted the rules for triple deckers, which helped enable a modest amount of new construction. We can only hope that Marblehead Town Meeting Members will do the same in the future.
Here in Somerville
It’s been a busy couple of weeks! We’ve published an open letter to city council urging them to choose more housing for the 90 Washington plan, and our dormer amendment exited the Land Use Committee with a positive recommendation and only minor amendments. We look forward to the full council’s decision soon.
We’d also like to congratulate the Davis Square Neighborhood Council on their successful first board election. We’re looking forward to productive discussion and decision-making.
Upcoming Events
May 13: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Meeting— Key agenda item: 2027 state elections. 6 pm, online via Zoom.
May 18: Davis Square Neighborhood Council — Congratulations to new DSNC board members, who will be starting their terms off with some major decisions. 6:00 pm, online and in person at the Crystal Ballroom.
May 27: AHMA Lobby Day — Head to Beacon Hill with our statewide partner, Abundant Housing Massachusetts, to speak directly with elected officials and lobby for more homes.
Recommended Reading
The Research All Points in the Same Direction: Adding More Homes Curbs Rents for Low-Income Tenants — Metro Abundance highlights flaws in the methodology of research claiming otherwise.
The skylines of the future will be made of wood — Mass timber technology is mature, safe, and practical. Grist explores what that means for construction.
The Housing Fix Few Cities Want To Copy — “The housing gap between Austin and Boston looks, from a distance, like a single large problem that requires a single large explanation. Up close it dissolves into five specific policy choices….”
Apartments Are the Climate Solution Hiding in Plain Sight — Like we’ve been saying.
Los Angeles can’t force homeowners to foot the bill for public monuments: LA’s historic preservation system seems even more broken than Somerville’s, and that’s saying something.
Correction
In our last newsletter we stated that “over a third of Somerville households don’t have cars.” The correct proportion is approximately a quarter for Somerville, while around a third of households in Boston and Cambridge are car-free.