Reclaim Local Zoning Control in Massachusetts!
A diverse coalition of Massachusetts residents from Manchester, Gloucester, Winthrop, Hamilton, Lynn, Halifax, Boxford, Rowley, Newton, North Reading, Billerica, Ipswich, Milton, Duxbury, Wilmington, Westminster, Malden, and Rockport is rallying to challenge the state’s MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A). This law mandates multifamily zoning in 177 communities, often overriding local control and fueling concerns about overdevelopment. Now, you have a chance to fight back and restore, preserve and protect zoning sovereignty in our towns and cities.
The Fight Against 3A
The End MBTA 3A Mandate coalition submitted four Initiative Petitions (25-32 to 25-35) to the Attorney General’s Office to dismantle or limit the impact of Section 3A. Constitutional requirements have been met, and the petitions approved for signature gathering. The coalition must collect 74,574 signatures by December 3, 2025, to place these measures on the November 2026 ballot. A second round of 12,429 signatures may be needed by July 2026, if the Legislature does not act. The four petitions include:
• Petition U (25-32)_Repeal MBTA Zoning: Completely nullify Section 3A and any existing 3A zones.
• Petition 3 (25-33) Preserve Local Control: Prohibit state interference in local zoning (except Chapter 40B) and repeal conflicting laws.
• Petition 4 (25-34) Prevent Overdevelopment: Limit state-mandated density to 5 units per acre and require special permits for developments exceeding 10 units per acre.
• Petition 5 (25-35) Reform the Zoning Process: Mandate a 2/3 majority for zoning changes, a 21-day gap between public hearings and adoption, written reports from planning boards, and a 3-year waiting period before reintroducing defeated zoning proposals unless approved by special election.
Why This Matters
The MBTA Communities Act, part of Massachusetts’ response to the housing crisis, requires towns served by or near MBTA transit to zone for multifamily housing, often without sufficient local input. Critics argue it threatens the character of small towns, strains infrastructure, and dismisses community priorities. For example, resistance is growing in places like North Reading and Milton, where residents and officials have voiced concerns about “overreach” and “invasion” of local sovereignty.
In fact, despite a massive marketing effort by the State, approximately 58% of the people still dislike and oppose the existing MBTA Mandate Law. They find it is heavy-handed, intrusive, even dictatorial and will ultimately cost towns more money to accept than to reject. The State has coerced towns to comply, threatening the loss of grant money, when the mandate reads that the 177 municipalities would only lose the ability to apply for and compete with many other towns for particular grants. When towns actually reviewed the historic record of the specific grants previously received, they found the amounts, if any, relatively small when compared with the potential future costs that accepting the MBTA Mandate and its inevitable resulting rapid over-development would bring. In most cases, accepting this Mandate would ultimately cost the towns much more money due to the inevitable growth in the schools, fire, police, DPW & town offices not to mention the added traffic, and parking issues. Ultimately, the 3A mandate would permanently change the character of your town. The 3A mandate favors over-development at the expense of the current normal development procedures with its built-in safe guards.
Proponents of 3A, the developers and large construction firms, claim this law will address Massachusetts' housing shortage. But Massachusetts does not have a housing shortage. It has an affordability crisis. Massachusetts has a shortage of affordable housing! There are plenty of rentals and homes for lease or for sale. The 3A Mandate is not the solution , it is the new title wave that will ultimately drown our towns in added expenses and not alleviate the affordability crisis.
A United Stand for Local Control
This petition initiative represents a united, non-partisan effort by Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to ensure that zoning decisions reflect the will of local communities, not state mandates.
This initiative transcends party lines, uniting residents who believe in local governance and sustainable development. By collecting enough signatures, we can let voters—not bureaucrats—decide the fate of Section 3A in November 2026.
We need your help to protect our communities from over-development and restore the right to shape our own neighborhoods.
