By EVAN EDMONDS
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
The City of Waltham has until the end of the calendar year to submit a proposal for 3,982 multifamily housing units near its transit center or face repercussions from the state for noncompliance with the MBTA Communities Law.
As a “Commuter Rail Community” Waltham must draft an application detailing a compliant zoning plan and submit it to the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) by Dec. 31, 2024. If the city fails to comply, it risks being made ineligible for a number of grants and state funding sources that support housing development, such as the MBTA Community Catalyst Fund, according to EOHLC press secretary Kevin Connor.
Massachusetts lawmakers passed the law in January 2021, saying it is a way to combat exclusionary zoning and allow for more multifamily housing development near public transit stops.
Connor said EOHLC officials are working with Waltham city staff to ensure the city can achieve compliance but was unable to comment on the work as it is a “local process.”
For assurance that proposed zoning changes will comply, MBTA communities can submit a pre-adoption review application to EOHLC. Waltham received feedback on its pre-adoption review application on Nov. 4, with the feedback listing 11 issues for the city to address in order to meet compliance.
One issue within the “purposes and objectives” section was failure to “describe a legitimate planning purpose serving the needs of current and future Waltham residents,” the document reads.
Despite the crunch for time, Waltham Ward 9 City Councilor Robert Logan said he remains confident that the city will meet the deadline. “I am committed to achieving full compliance with the MBTA Communities Act within the specified timeline,” Logan said.
Waltham Ward 8 City Councillor Cathyann Harris would not comment on progress of the discussion between EOHLC and the city’s law department while conversations are ongoing but said the law department has been working weekly with EOHLC since Aug. 5 toward a draft zoning ordinance that is compliant.
Waltham’s approach to meeting compliance with the MBTA Communities Law has received criticism from local advocates for more equitable housing policy.
Danny Semeniuta, an organizing member of Waltham Inclusive Neighborhoods (WIN), a Waltham-based housing advocacy group, said he “doesn’t feel great” about the city’s current efforts to improve affordable housing access or its work to meet MBTA Communities Law compliance requirements.
Semeniuta, who has lived in Waltham since October 2023, pointed to the city’s failure to apply for assistance on the zoning changes as an indicator that the application would not comply with the law.
“Rather than address the desires of residents for a plan with greater density and less parking, the City Council defended the work of the law department,” Semeniuta said. “In trying to meet the minimum, the city fell too far short. We have a chance to meet the moment of this housing crisis by zoning for a truly forward-looking city.”
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