Also, the Massachusetts Municipal Association statement on the bill can be found on its website HERE. Finally, you can read the Home Builders and Remodelers Association statement opposing the bill HERE. Following several sessions in which she coordinated the Senates construction project budget as Vice Chair of the Committee on Ways and Means, Senator Kidani. Check it out on the Alliance’s website HERE. House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Governor Baker have publically remained noncommittal on the Senate’s bill, and Speaker DeLeo has not stated whether the bill will be debated in the House before the end of the legislative session in July.įor more information, Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance has been maintaining a webpage devoted to the zoning reform efforts. The bill will now go to the House where it will have to be debated and voted on it before it could go to Governor Baker to sign it into law. The one thing all sides agree on, however, is that reform is definitely needed. Other opponents have called the bill “watered down” saying that it does not go far enough to address affordable housing needs. Heading into the election, Democrats held a 34-6 majority. Those in opposition say that the bill will make housing and commercial development more expensive due to impact fees, increase development costs and create layers of unneeded bureaucracy. All 40 seats in the Massachusetts State Senate were up for election in 2016. Proponents of the bill say that it will make the permitting process more predictable and streamlined for developers, reduce expensive urban sprawl, make it easier for municipalities to adopt changes to their zoning bylaws and reduce the legal burden on those seeking variances. The bill will also revise subdivision laws and attempt to make site plan review more consistent among municipalities.Īs is usual with any kind of reform, the bill has been the subject of controversy and debate by developers, real estate organizations, municipal officials, environmentalists and many other stakeholders. 2311, a bill entitled “An Act to Promote Housing and Sustainable Development in the Commonwealth” has the stated goal of, among other things, making it easier for real estate developers to create less expensive housing by requiring communities to allow for higher density housing, cluster development and permitting accessory units within single family homes. On June 9, 2016, the Massachusetts Senate voted to approve what would be the first major reform of zoning in Massachusetts since the 1970s. Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo says progress is being made on several key bills with just hours remaining in the formal 2015-2016 legislative session.īut the Democratic leader said he could not guarantee the measures would come up for final votes before midnight on Sunday.Ĭlosed-door talks were continuing as the House and Senate try to resolve differences that are holding up final passage of the measures, including legislation that calls for dramatically increasing the state's reliance on renewable energy sources.Senate Passes Historic, Controversial Zoning Reform Bill – What’s Next? Lewis ( Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Massachusetts State Senate to represent the 5th Middlesex District. His current term ends on January 1, 2025. The so-called municipal modernization bill is one of several key measures awaiting final passage Sunday as the hours ticked down on the formal 2015-2016 legislative session.īy late afternoon, agreements had yet to be reached on bills to increase the state's reliance on renewable energy sources regulate ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft spur economic development around the state and restrict non-compete employment contracts.ĭemocratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo says progress is being made in negotiations over those bills but he could not guarantee that they would emerge for final votes before the Sunday midnight deadline. Jason Lewis ( Democratic Party) is a member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing the 5th Middlesex District. The Massachusetts House has approved a wide-ranging bill designed to help city and town officials better govern their communities and cope with ever-increasing financial pressures. The so-called municipal modernization bill was one of several key measures before lawmakers Sunday as the hours ticked down on the formal 2015-2016 legislative session.īy early evening, agreements had yet to be reached on bills to increase the state's reliance on renewable energy sources, regulate ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft, spur economic development around the state and restrict non-compete employment contracts.ĭemocratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo said earlier in the day that progress was being made in negotiations over those bills but that he could not guarantee that they would emerge for final votes before the Sunday midnight deadline.
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