June 2, 2016

Senate leaders today released major legislation that would make sweeping changes in the state’s housing and zoning laws, a proposal that would significantly impact development and zoning in every city and town.
 
Senate leaders have taken previous proposed legislation to update the state’s zoning and planning laws and greatly expanded it by adding provisions that would override local authority in several areas, primarily on housing matters. For example, the bill would require municipalities to adopt “by-right” multi-family housing districts and allow accessory apartments “by-right” in residential districts.
 
The bill (S. 2311) is scheduled for a vote by the full Senate next Thursday, June 9.
 
“The MMA supports efforts to give cities and towns real tools to improve local planning and development, and real authority to meet local affordable housing needs and goals,” said MMA Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “But the for-profit development industry has been pushing hard to preempt local decision-making authority, calling for provisions to override local zoning by mandating ‘as-of-right’ authority for developers, even though this proposed preemption of local zoning would not address the cost of housing or be linked to the development of more affordable housing.”

posted by Jeff Bennett