Planning Board Continues MBTA Communities Act Discussion

FRAMINGHAM - Discussions regarding the MBTA Communities Act continued during the Framingham Planning Board’s meeting at the Memorial Building on Tuesday, June 11.

The legislation was enacted back in 2021 as an attempt to address housing needs in Massachusetts. It mandates that cities and towns with MBTA service, such as trains or buses, have to have at least one district of multi-family housing in its zoning as of right. That zoning district cannot be more than a half mile away from an MBTA station.

Framingham is currently in accordance with the MBTA Communities Act, but city officials have mentioned that the city could fall out of compliance by the end of 2024. If that happens, Framingham could be subject to a funding from the state level for local projects. Even with that in mind, members of the Framingham Planning Board have previously expressed optimism that the city can stay in line with state regulations.

The Planning Board has been working to determine a proper location for the zoning district in question, as Framingham’s Director of Planning and Community Development Sarkis Sarkisian gave a presentation on Tuesday that outlined draft options.

Sarkisian reiterated that the city is not required by the MBTA act to actually build housing; municipalities just have to create the zoning district. He told Planning Board members that in spite of infrastructure upgrades that are needed in the downtown area—nearby the city’s Commuter Rail stop—state officials are not taking a need for renovation as an excuse for the lack of a zoning overlay district.

“Every city and town would say, ‘We don’t have water, we don’t have sewer.’ (The state doesn’t) want to hear that,” Sarkisian on Tuesday.

“This is a critical issue for the state, it’s a major issue for the state...Housing, housing, housing. It’s all about housing and creating new housing.”

The MBTA Communities Act calls for Framingham to provide at least 50 acres of land and an area that can provide 4,355 units through zoning, according to Sarkisian. In turn, he showed that the city is prioritizing factors like not going too far over the state’s requirement and focusing on the Waverly Street area by the Commuter Rail stop while avoiding historic structures and areas.

A trio of draft options were presented to the Planning Board; all three were focused within the Waverly Street area. The potential districts all spanned between roughly 72 to 82 acres and were projected to provide enough space for approximately 4,700 to 5,000 units.

Sarkisian also noted that leaders for the Shoppers World property have expressed interest in potentially providing space for housing in the future. He clarified that the city is not recommending the entire red area pictured below—which is about 50 acres—to be zoned in accordance with the law.

Planning Board members and residents discussed aspects of the drafts such as location, building height, and differences between residential and commercial zoning during Tuesday’s meeting.

Additional information and opportunities for public comment are expected to be provided as the process to comply with the MBTA Communities Act continues.