Submit Your Public Comment in Support of the MBTA Communities Act Today
Last month, the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts confirmed that the MBTA Communities Act is constitutional and the 177 cities and towns covered by the law must comply with it. However, the court also ruled that the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) must re-promulgate the regulations guiding the law’s implementation. This process includes EOHLC issuing new emergency regulations and a public comment period for members of the public to voice their opinion on the new regulations. The only major difference between the previous regulations and the newly drafted regulations is that they include extended timelines for communities that have not yet complied with the law.
The public comment period is currently underway, with the final day for comments set for February 21st.
Next Steps
1) Download our Public Comment Template
We have created a public comment template for you to use that outlines why it is important that the EOHLC maintain the regulations as they were originally written.
Click here to download the template
2) Write your public comment
We encourage you to use this template to inform your public comments, but do not hesitate to modify it. Your unique voice and perspective is wanted and needed!
3) Submit your comments
Click here to submit public comment
Why is this important?
Unfortunately, re-opening the public comment process has created a fresh opportunity for opponents of the law to try and claw back some of the requirements in the original regulations. We know that they are making their voices heard, so we need to make sure that EOHLC also hears from those who support more housing in their communities.