Valerie Wencis
Belmont faces a state mandate that could increase the town’s housing inventory by 15%.
The MBTA Communities Act requires Belmont to zone for at least 1,632 new housing units. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council is calculating the exact number and type of housing units. According to an online real estate website, the median sale price per square foot in Belmont increased by 30.1% in the last year alone.
State Sen. William Brownsberger, D-Belmont, called the state’s housing crisis “the central public policy challenge of this decade.”
“Increasing the supply of housing at all income levels is a social justice issue, it is an economic development issue, it is a climate mitigation issue, and it is a climate adaptation issue,” Brownsberger said.
Massachusetts has some of the highest and fastest-rising housing costs in the country.
These price hikes have created a greater financial strain for low- and middle-income families. In addition to being a driver of homelessness, the increasing home prices affect the state’s ability to compete economically.
“The reality is, in Massachusetts, we need 200,000 new homes in the next decade to stabilize home prices and rents,” said Rachel Heller, co-chair of Belmont’s MBTA Communities Advisory Committee.
Belmont is one of 177 communities required by the MBTA Communities Act, requiring towns to create at least one zoning district of reasonable size with easy access to mass transportation. Other criteria governing the new districts include:
- Allowing multi-family housing
- Minimum density of 15 units per acre
- Located not more than ½ mile from a commuter rail station, subway station, or bus station
- No age restrictions, and suitable housing for families with children
“If everyone, all 177 communities put their multifamily zoning into place, it will allow for over 250,000 homes to be built,” said Heller. “So you can see how that’s actually helping Massachusetts to get to a stable place where our rents and the prices of our homes aren’t skyrocketing.”
According to Heller, also a Belmont Housing Trust member, the policy originated from affordable housing developers who identified zoning restrictions as “the greatest barrier to creating the multifamily housing that we need.”
“The MBTA communities multifamily zoning law is about opening up the opportunities and allowing for the homes that we need, so that people have the homes that they need, that people have choices in where they live, that our communities are stronger, that our businesses do better, that we are able to make it easier for people to move around without a car, instead of always having to drive,” she said.
Heller said the zoning changes create an opportunity for Belmont to meet the needs of its current and future community members.
“How can we implement it in a way that we are making it possible for renters to become homeowners, if that’s what they choose; for seniors to be able to stay in the community; for young families to actually have a start; for our businesses to be able to thrive, and that means having both customers and employees; for our teachers to be able to live anywhere near the schools or you know, all of our municipal employees,” she said.
Belmont Select Board Chair Roy Epstein mentioned some of the districts that have been under consideration for the new zoning: Waverley Square, Belmont Village (Housing Authority property off Thomas Street), Belmont Center, Concord Avenue west of the library, Concord Avenue area near Bright Road, the Brighton Street area near the commuter rail tracks, and the Pleasant Street area near Brighton Street.
“We need to zone for (not build) at least 1,632 housing units,” wrote Epstein in an email to The Belmont Voice. “The compliance model being constructed by our consultant MAPC [Metropolitan Area Planning Council – whose services are provided through a state grant] will calculate the number of housing units implied by the various housing types proposed for the different districts.”
The Future
The advisory committee has been meeting since 2022 and its proposal must be final by Dec. 31, 2024.
The first stop is the Planning Board, which must assess and ensure any proposal’s viability. Then, it will be handed to the Select Board.
Planning Board Chair Jeff Birenbaum said their first direct update from the MBTA Communities Advisory Committee was Jan. 2. Birenbaum has asked the committee co-chairs to attend the Planning Board’s twice-monthly meetings leading up to their expected hand-off in April. A final proposal should be in front of Town Meeting Members in the fall.
In Birenbaum’s opinion, Waverly Square and Belmont Center are the most viable areas for development based on walkability, proximity to the train, and their “work and play” features.
“Those are the business ‘live and play’ type of centers, where you have food and beverage, groceries, and that’s what creates vibrancy and everything else,” he said.
Public Forum
The MBTA Communities Advisory Committee held a public forum Jan. 29. At the forum, MPAC consultant Josh Fiala updated residents on the planning process and analysis done thus far.
Those in attendance had plenty of questions and comments, especially around how the proposed additional housing would affect traffic and parking – and whether it’s realistic to expect people to walk versus drive.
“People have jobs to get to, family to visit, maybe they want to go on vacation,” said Susan Smart, a Waverley Square resident who pushed back on a suggestion that not all units would require a parking space. “With the congestion in Waverly as it is, I really fear for the area. The traffic now is so terrible.”
“I think it makes a great deal of sense to encourage people to use public transportation,” said Precinct 5 Town Meeting Member Tommasina Olson, “but until the public transportation is more reliable, all you’re doing is frustrating people. We really need to look at public transportation if you really want to cut down on parking spaces.”
While lamenting the lack of density around Belmont Center compared to Waverley Square, Town Meeting Member Angus Abercrombie noted the positive fiscal impact of the new zoning.
“Everyone knows we’re in a dire fiscal situation,” he said. “So by bringing in more construction, we’re bringing in more value that we can tax and that relieves the burdens on all the people in this room.”
There will be additional sessions in February and March. Heller said the committee hopes to have plans available by the Feb. 15 meeting showing what rezoned areas might look like.
No Room for Non-Compliance
There is some financial penalty possible if Belmont doesn’t comply, Epstein said, in the form of denying eligibility for various state grants. But, he added, the value of the grants isn’t great, and the odds of winning them are unknown.
“The more important penalty to me is that the Massachusetts Attorney General has indicated she will sue noncompliant towns on discrimination grounds, with potentially significant financial and reputational consequences. I think we would have very few legal defenses against such a suit,” he said.
