MBTA Communities Act: Save The Suburbs

The MBTA Communities Act is a one-size-fits-all mandate that strips suburban towns of their right to make their own land use decisions. It mandates housing density without funding schools, utilities, or infrastructure that suburbs must pay for. It transfers zoning power from elected local boards to state agencies. It solves nothing about truly affordable housing while enriching developers.

The Problems:

Housing density mandates come with no state funding for schools, utilities, or infrastructure, costs that fall on property taxpayers. No safeguards exist on housing type, allowing luxury and subsidized units built simultaneously without community input. Zoning authority shifts from elected local boards to state agencies, eliminating community voice on neighborhood character. The mandate enriches developers while solving nothing about genuine affordability.

As Your Congressman, I will:

• Protect Suburban Zoning Authority

  • I will defend suburban communities' constitutional right to local zoning control. No town should lose authority over land use decisions because it is not in a state-defined transit zone. I will support legal challenges to state overreach and file amicus briefs for towns defending their right to self-determination.

• Condition Federal MBTA Funding on Local Control

  • The federal government provides approximately $1.3 billion annually to the MBTA. I will work with Congress to require that any state receiving federal transit funding must respect local zoning authority. If Massachusetts overrides local communities, Congress should condition federal transportation dollars on restoring local control or repealing the mandate.

• Require State Funding for State-Imposed Mandates

  • If the state mandates increased housing density, the state must pay for the consequences. I will introduce legislation requiring that any state-imposed land use mandate include dedicated state funding for schools, utilities, and infrastructure. Local property taxpayers should not subsidize state policy.

• Investigate Coercion Through DOJ and DOT

  • I will direct the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division to investigate whether Massachusetts is withholding state funds for emergency services and essential infrastructure to coerce compliance with unfunded mandates, a potential violation of constitutional protections. I will work with the Department of Transportation to review whether the state's use of federal transportation funding to enforce this mandate complies with federal grant conditions. If federal dollars are being misused to override local zoning authority, that violates federal law.

• Introduce the Suburban Zoning Protection Act

  • I will introduce legislation that prevents federal or state officials from imposing land use mandates on communities that opted out of regional transit planning. Suburban communities should have the same right to self-determination that cities demand.

• Back the towns in court.

  • Milton was stripped of grant funding after its voters rejected compliance, and the SJC's Attorney General v. Town of Milton decision left the underlying question of coercion unresolved. Any municipality in this district that defends its zoning authority in court will have my support: amicus briefs, congressional letters into the record, and public backing. Towns should not have to choose between their local vote and their road repair money.