To the editor:
The addition of MBTA Communities requirements to 3A was made to alleviate a shortage of affordable housing. Every MBTA community in the state is directed to identify a single, reasonable-sized lot where state-mandated multifamily housing can be built. The state law required Marblehead’s Planning Board to zone 27 acres for multifamily, and the board’s members zoned 56 acres across three subdistricts to distribute this mandate. I disagree with the idea of the state dictating a cookie-cutter formula that doesn’t take into consideration the needs and characteristics of individual cities and towns. Each town has a different history and has evolved slightly differently. I believe this law is a statewide intrusion in the private sector real estate market, and it reminds me of the federal Frank-Dodd legislation that I believed caused the 2008 crisis.
Marblehead’s impressive growth in property values is driven by limited available land and buyers willing to pay high prices to live in our special oceanfront historic town. These trends can be expected to continue. With private sector financing, the government provides tax breaks for developers that will make 10% affordable housing of new development with six or more units.
There is the question of how this much construction will be managed in our compact town. Major changes to our town will have to be made to find space for multifamily housing construction. The proposed zoning requires two parking spots per new-development unit. Construction costs and new construction requirements are growing along with our Marblehead property values.
We need a realistic look at the impact of this MBTA zoning on the character and facilities of our historic town as well as the costs and time frame required to complete the mandate.
Anthony Chamay
Bonad Road
