MBTA Communities Act
MBTA Communities Act
In 2021, Massachusetts passed the MBTA Communities Law, one of the most impactful housing laws in decades. The law requires 177 cities and towns served by MBTA transit to comply or risk losing state funding and facing potential legal action.
Communities must create a reasonably sized zoning district that allows multifamily housing by-right at a density of 15 units per acre. This modest requirement can be met with duplexes, townhomes, carriage houses, and small apartment buildings.
The MBTA Communities Law directly supports the state’s 2035 Massachusetts Housing Plan: A Home for Everyone, which calls for significantly increasing housing production to address the ongoing housing shortage. By encouraging housing near transit, the law promotes walkable, mixed-use communities, reduces car dependency, and expands housing options across the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts needs more housing—and the MBTA Communities Law is a key part of the solution.
Additional Resources
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- Mass.Gov Resources for MBTA Communities: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/resources-for-mbta-communities
- MAR MBTA Communities webpage: https://www.marealtor.com/mbta-communities/
- Massachusetts 2035 Housing Plan: A Home for Everyone: https://www.mass.gov/a-home-for-everyone
- Interactive Globe article showing how the mandate impacts specific towns: https://apps.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/special-projects/spotlight-boston-housing/zoning-mandate-map/
NEAR Communities in Non-Compliance
Dracut
Dracut is an MBTA-adjacent community required to create a zoning district that allows multi-family housing by-right, with capacity for about 1,200 units at an average of 15 units per acre. In 2024, Town Meeting voted against the proposed zoning, and as of July 14, 2025, Dracut is considered non-compliant. That decision puts the town at risk of losing important state grants, facing potential legal action, and missing out on smart-growth housing that could strengthen the tax base and support long-term fiscal stability.
THE MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT
And What That Means for Dracut
The Cost of Saying No
A Future that Works for Everyone
Tewksbury
Tewksbury is classified as an MBTA-adjacent community and is required to zone for at least 1,641 multifamily housing units at a minimum average density of 15 units per acre. While the town’s 2023 Housing Production Plan and Housing Vision both support creating more diverse, smaller-scale housing options, Tewksbury has not yet adopted an MBTA Communities-compliant zoning district and is therefore currently noncompliant with the law.