Although the goal of protecting tenants from sudden spikes is noble, evidence from decades of research and practical experience shows that broad rent caps often deliver the opposite of their intended outcomes.
MBTA Communities
Posted inHousing
Were MBTA Communities costs unfair, or a self-imposed expense?
The ongoing fight over the transit-centered housing law has played out in the middle of a serious housing crunch. The state has said 222,000 new homes need to be built by 2035 to meet pent up demand.
Posted inHousing
Reluctant MBTA Communities start to buckle
The law will be before the Supreme Judicial Court next month, when the justices hear arguments in a case brought by Marshfield that claims the zoning law should be struck down as an “unfunded mandate” being imposed on communities.
Posted inHousing
AG sues towns flouting MBTA Communities law
AG Andrea Campbell is seeking a court order declaring that nine communities must create zoning districts that comply with the law and submit district compliance applications to the state housing office.
Posted inHousing
Researchers find MBTA housing law benefits ‘modest’ so far
According to the report, 34 municipalities have projects in the pipeline, ranging in size from two to more than 500 units.
Posted inHousing
Our top five housing stories of 2025
The Bay State’s housing crunch seemed to reach into all corners in 2025, tying up courts, lawmakers navigating climate and transportation concerns, groups dependent on federal fair housing funding, and services promising to make it easier for more people to afford to live in pricey Massachusetts.
Posted inHousing
MBTA Communities fight heads back to the SJC
A group of holdout towns is banking on the very court that declared the legislation mandatory in January to rule that the mandate is illegal without dedicated funding.
Posted inHousing
Report: Affordability gap grows for those seeking starter homes
Home prices and rents have flattened in 2025 but are still “historically” high, according to a report released by The Boston Foundation and Boston Indicators.
Posted inState Government
‘It was too effing complicated:’ A pro-housing reckoning over MBTA Communities law
“We crafted this law in a way that we thought was responding to the unique aspect of local control, local decision making, Town Meeting form of government we have in Massachusetts,” said said Jesse Kanson-Benanav, of Abundant Housing Massachusetts, “but that made it incredibly difficult.”
Posted inHousing
Marblehead voters overturn multifamily housing zoning
Tuesday’s outcome places Marblehead among the 38 communities that have not yet achieved compliance with state law, risking loss of eligibility for competitive state grant programs potentially worth over $10 million.
Posted inState Government
MBTA Communities fight lingers in courts, on Beacon Hill
Some municipalities who claim the law asks too much of them are still looking to the courts and the Legislature for relief.
Posted inHousing
Milton Town Meeting decides to comply with MBTA Communities law
By 69 percent to 31 percent, the 239 representative voters at Milton’s special Town Meeting passed zoning language that would lay the groundwork for potentially 2,461 new units in the town, complying with the controversial state multi-family housing law.
Posted inHousing
Town Meeting vote on MBTA Communities looms for a divided Milton
The clock is ticking on Milton’s chance for compliance with MBTA Communities. The planning board and residents are still divided heading into a special town meeting on Monday.
Posted inHousing
MBTA Communities law is not an unfunded mandate, judge rules
The decision dismisses suits brought by towns who argued the state should not be allowed to force compliance with the MBTA Communities multifamily zoning law.
Posted inHousing
Milton complies with the MBTA Communities law, with an asterisk
More intra-government disagreement and possible litigation over the MBTA Communities housing law are again on the table in Milton as a special Town Meeting creeps closer.
Posted inState Government
MBTA zoning law targeted by GOP budget amendments
Even following a Supreme Judicial Court ruling in January against Milton that deemed the law constitutional and gave the attorney general’s office the ability to enforce it with legal action, unrest remains in other communities — many of which are using Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s contention that the law is an “unfunded mandate” to pursue further legal action.
Posted inThe Codcast
Sec. Augustus on housing policy base hits
CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith sits down with Ed Augustus, Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, to discuss how federal policy changes threaten state housing goals, the Commonwealth’s response, the tools it is using to meet those goals, and much more.
Posted inTransportation
Meet Beacon Hill’s new top House lawmaker on transportation
Colleagues call Arciero a pragmatist who’s willing to listen, while Beacon Hill observers note that he was already a key player who helped shepherd Gov. Maura Healey’s multibillion housing bill.
Posted inHousing
Towns gear up after auditor declares MBTA Communities law an ‘unfunded mandate’
After the state auditor handed down a determination that the MBTA Communities multi-family housing law is an unfunded mandate, towns are either scrambling to figure out next steps or racing right to the courthouse.
Posted inHousing
A new wrinkle in MBTA Communities rebellion, courtesy of DiZoglio
Responding to a request from Wrentham officials, Auditor Diana DiZoglio waded into a local battle over the controversial MBTA Communities law, finding that the law is an “unfunded mandate” handed down by state officials.