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Massachusetts Sues Nine Towns Over MBTA Communities Law Noncompliance

The attorney general seeks a court order compelling the holdouts to establish compliant multifamily districts.

Overview

  • Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed the case in Suffolk Superior Court, asking judges to require compliant zoning and district applications to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
  • The lawsuit names Dracut, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop.
  • State officials report 165 of 177 MBTA communities are in compliance, with projects in newly zoned areas accounting for nearly 7,000 homes across 34 communities.
  • Carver, Freetown, and Rehoboth also remain out of compliance but were not sued as the state allows additional time based on recent deadlines and pending local actions.
  • A 2025 Supreme Judicial Court ruling affirmed the law’s enforceability, and Campbell said cases will be dropped if towns adopt compliant zoning, with some officials signaling upcoming votes.