3A Non-Compliant Communities Face Penalties
February 21st at 10:39am.
The town of Milton at Town Meeting on February 14 voted in opposition of adopting new zoning regulations that would comply with the state's MBTA Zoning policy (referred here as 3A). This is the first community in the state to vote against adopting a compliant policy.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey's administration is following through on its commitment to pull funding from any community in violation of 3A. Attorney General Andrea Cambell has warned that her office will take legal action against non-compliant communities. Secretary Edward M. Augustus expressed his concerns in a letter to town officials.
As a result of the vote, Milton will no longer be eligible for a recently approved $140,800 grant for seawall and access improvements, which was contingent upon compliance with the law. Governor Healey’s office also said that Milton will not be eligible to receive MassWorks and HousingWorks grants and will be at a competitive disadvantage for many other state grant programs.
A total of 177 communities, including all of Essex County, are subject to the requirements of 3A, which was passed in January 2021 under the administration of former Gov. Charlie Baker with near-unanimous support from the Massachusetts Legislature. Of our 23 North Shore cities and towns, 18 have a compliance deadline of 2024 and the others have until the end of 2025.
