FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals held a joint session on Wednesday, March 13 to discuss the MBTA Communities Law.

Director of Planning and Community Development for the city Sarkis Sarkisian reminded officials at the Memorial Building that Framingham is in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act through this December, as the city has to submit a District Compliance Application by December 31.

Essentially, the law requires communities served by the MBTA to have certain zones with affordability requirements. Multi-family housing has to be permitted as of right within at least one zoning district in these municipalities.

Any city or town that is not compliant with the MBTA Communities Act could be at risk of losing state funding sources, and they could also potentially face litigation. Milton is one community facing that loss of state funding and legal challenges from Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell following the rejection of a related zoning law by voters in the town.

Sarkesian said the state funding sources that could be in jeopardy locally have already funded initiatives such as the Mary Dennison Park project, stormwater infrastructure upgrades, and the development of local rail trails.

“It would impact the city of Framingham,” Sarkesian told members of the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

“The city of Framingham has been very successful in getting these grants, and we’re going to continue to pursue the grants. We’d hate to have this taken away from us.”

Sarkesian stressed that the city does not necessarily have to have units built in order to be compliant with the MBTA Communities Law at the turn of the new year; the city just has to create zones for affordable units. Local bylaws would have mandates related to the design of any future buildings within those areas, according to Sarkesian.

Framingham has to provide at least 50 acres for overlay districts to allow affordable housing. One of those districts has to be at least 25 contiguous areas, with each individual district encompassing at least five acres. 40% of all of the districts have to be within a half mile of either the city’s Commuter Rail station or a bus station.

Chair of the Planning Board Kristina Johnson said it could be helpful for officials to have data from the local Department of Public Works related to infrastructure in order to make informed decisions on the zoning front.

“We need to know that kind of information, because those are the kinds of comments we are hearing from the public already, and it’s what’s being discussed in other communities who are going through this exercise,” Johnson continued.

Johnson said it will take a team effort within the municipal government to develop zoning recommendations, with public comment sessions also playing a key role in the process.