NOTES BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS (IF YOU MISS THE PRINTED EDITION, YOU MISS A LOT!)
SHORTSLEEVE SUPPORTS BUDGET AMENDMENTS TO HELP ALLEVIATE MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT
SHORTSLEEVE WILL PROVIDE LEADERSHIP TO REPEAL ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL LAW
BOSTON, MA – Today, Marine Corps Veteran, successful business leader, and proven government reformer Brian Shortsleeve, Republican candidate for governor, urged passage of Senate budget amendments to help alleviate onerous requirements of the MBTA Communities Act.
“The amendments Republicans have filed to the Senate budget take some of the sting out of the MBTA Communities Act and I urge their passage. While they are a step in the right direction, the amendments show the need for a Governor who is committed to repealing this one-size-fits-all law,” said Shortsleeve.
Senator Kelly Dooner has filed an amendment to exempt municipalities with less than 8000 residents and an amendment to give communities 2 additional years to comply.
“Everyone understands there is a need for more affordable housing, but the MBTA Communities Act is not the solution. Our state should be using a carrot approach not a stick,” said Shortsleeve. “As the next Governor, I will work for repeal and I will never punish communities.”
I am astounded by the stupidity and cowardice displayed by the Select Boards in most towns adversely affected by the bogus ‘MBTA Guidelines.’ The Supreme Judicial Court, in the Town of Milton case, TWICE affirmed that MBTA zoning districts MUST be within 1/2 mile of an MBTA transit station or terminal, essentially re-stating that key language set forth in the controlling statute, Mass.Gen.Laws Ch. 40A, section 3A.
SEE https://www.mma.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SJC_AG_Milton_1.8.25.pdf
Towns having no land within 1/2 mile of an MBTA transit station or terminal should be filing Superior Court actions challenging the applicability of the bogus ‘MBTA Guidelines.’