Claims circulating on the MBTAHolden.com website regarding the MBTA Communities Act misstate key elements of the state law and its impact on local zoning, according to state legislation. Following the MBTAHolden.com website links directly to the Town of Holden’s Republican Party’s website.

The MBTA Communities Act, adopted by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2021, affects 177 municipalities: 84 communities with MBTA service and 93 communities that are adjacent to those with MBTA service. It requires these 177 municipalities to establish a zoning district that allows for the construction of multi-family housing by right. The size of the district is dependent on the number of housing in each municipality. Holden is designated as an “adjacent community” under the law.

The website asserts that the law will force dense housing construction onto communities. That claim is inaccurate. The law mandates zoning changes, not construction. It does not require any housing to be built, nor does it authorize the state to approve or construct projects in Holden. 

The first sentence that explains the opposition states that the law will raise property taxes by up to $1,400 per family per year. Again, this is inaccurate as the law is a zoning law, which does not require any taxes to be levied. 

The claim that the law eliminates public input is also misleading. The compliance process requires public hearings, planning board review, and a Town Meeting vote. In Holden, a locally appointed MBTA Communities Act Working Group has been meeting publicly, identifying potential sites for the overlay district and planning information sessions for residents.

The website does note that noncompliance could result in a state takeover of zoning decisions; meaning the state could decide on zoning changes without input or approval of town residents and public officials. While this is true, it is not the only consequence that could result from noncompliance. In addition to losing the ability to choose where the zoning occurs, Holden could face loss of state funding or legal action. However, it is important to note that these consequences will only occur if the town continues down a path of noncompliance.

The website further suggests that compliance will lead to uncontrolled growth and infrastructure strain. State guidelines require that zoning districts be “reasonably sized” and suitable for families, but they do not override existing health, safety, environmental or infrastructure regulations. Any proposed development must still meet local and state standards.

Holden officials have acknowledged that compliance is mandatory under state law. After initial resistance, the town submitted an action plan and is working toward adopting a zoning overlay in anticipation of putting it on the warrant for an upcoming Special Town Meeting, sometime in early 2026.

Thus far, the town’s MBTACA Working Group has identified two properties for a proposed multi-family zoning overlay district: the 39-acre Holden Trap Rock site at 2077 Main Street and the 11-acre Halstead Apartments site on Newbury Drive. The group, tasked with choosing parcels of land to be voted on for zoning changes, includes members of the Select Board, Planning Board, Finance Committee, Conservation Commission, as well as town residents.

WFP followed the MBTACA process in Paxton and attended and reported on several public meetings. Will Rhatigan, the communities engagement manager at Citizens Housing and Planning Association, spoke at several of these meetings. Rhatigan explained that to be in compliance with the law, towns do not have to build multi-family housing, they do not have to have plans to build housing, they just have to put zoning in place that designates acreage as available to build multifamily housing.

As Holden moves forward, town leaders and planners emphasize that the MBTA Communities Act is a zoning requirement, not a development mandate – a distinction that is often misinterpreted but one that is central to understanding the law’s actual effect. W