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4h ago

Holden Again Rejects MBTA Housing Zoning, Setting Up State Enforcement

Holden now expects to be served in the attorney general’s case seeking to enforce the MBTA Communities zoning mandate.

Boston, MA -- 04/24/13 -- A passenger enters into one of the new bi-level commuter rail coaches which was implemented on April 24, 2013 on the Haverhill train line. Three new bi-level commuter rail coaches replaced single level coaches on the MBTA train to Haverhill, and made their first trip on April 24, 2013. Each new bi-level coach seats 75 more passengers, and will be implemented across the system in the coming months. (Kayana Szymczak for the Boston Globe)
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Overview

  • Residents voted 520–257 at a March 2 Special Town Meeting to defeat Article 2, the town’s second failed attempt after a May 19, 2025 rejection.
  • The proposal would have created multifamily overlays at 2077 Main Street (the Trap Rock quarry) and Newbury Drive to meet the law’s 750‑unit, 15‑units‑per‑acre requirements.
  • A working group member described the quarry site as chosen for likely “paper compliance,” saying development there would be economically impractical.
  • Attorney General Andrea Campbell filed a suit in late January naming Holden among nine noncompliant towns, and town officials say they expect to be served and will defend the case; no hearings were listed as of March 3.
  • Noncompliance risks legal orders and loss of some state infrastructure grants, while 165 of 177 communities have complied and projects tied to the law have advanced nearly 7,000 homes across 34 municipalities.