BOISTON – Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced she filed a lawsuit in state court on Thursday, Jan. 29, against Holden, Dracut, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Marblehead, Middleton, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop for noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Law.
Of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, the law applies to 177 municipalities. The eight named in the lawsuit are the last out of compliance with the law.
The law requires these municipalities to have a zoning ordinance or by-law that provides for at least 1 district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right.
The law, signed by then-Governor Baker in 2021, aims to address the housing shortage across the state.
MBTA Communities includes those municipalities that host MBTA service or abut a city that hosts MBTA service. Other locations have been added as an MBTA Community under additional state law.
The law aims to encourage multi-family development near public transit, making travel to jobs, schools, shops, and other locations more accessible.
Campbell’s lawsuit seeks a court order for these last eight communities to comply.
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court affirmed the law in January 2025, deciding that all MBTA Communities must comply with it.
