To the editor:
As a recently retired and downsizing octogenarian, I was at one point afraid of being homeless when my Marblehead home of 54 years sold more quickly than expected. I had supported the MBTA Communities Act but had been out of the country at Town Meeting last May. Feeling somewhat guilty but knowing little of the actual act except that it promised to provide more choices for people like me, I sent off an email to a newly formed group, the Marblehead Housing Coalition, saying “Can I help?” And that introduction into this group of smart, well-informed and dedicated Marbleheaders of all ages and careers was the beginning of my education.
At the Select Board meeting of Sept. 11, I listened to people quite sincerely fearing that 900 new homes, 1800 new parking spaces and the cars they represent would overwhelm the town and change it irretrievably for the worse.
I then reached out to a member of our group who teaches urban planning at a local university. And she explained to me how the misunderstanding of a basic word is the cause of much of the confusion.
That word is capacity. And since I myself didn’t understand it in the zoning context, I thought it might be helpful to share my learning experience.
What does the MBTA Communities Act mean when it says, “must have the capacity to allow 900 multifamily units?” To me, capacity had meant families living there. The three designated areas already have 300 housing units in them. Will this act “allow” us (or force us) to squeeze 600 new families into these spaces?
But when the MBTA Communities Act says “capacity for 900 homes” it is simply referring to the zoning of the designated areas as if they were vacant. The Act would simply put the state’s multifamily zoning label over the designated number of acres as if they were undeveloped. It does not refer in any way to the living capacity in these areas, or to the existing units, or to any obligation to build. And the Marblehead group of citizens who devoted so much time and effort to putting this plan together have very cleverly selected this required acreage to be in areas which are already zoned multifamily, so there’s no real change in ease of permitting, except that future proposals would be approved by right. The impact on the town would be minimal. “Allowing” the zoning capacity for 900 or 600 multifamily homes doesn’t “allow” a single thing more than the existing multifamily zoning allows. Proposals for construction of any kind would still be subject to site review and compliance with all other existing zoning regulations — setbacks, height, parking. Where multifamily homes could be built, they mostly have been already, except in the Tioga Way district. Existing Smart Growth zoning and 40B affordable housing laws, which have been in effect for years, have already been used wherever financially feasible. Nobody’s going to build homes where Shubie’s and the National Grand Bank are now.
I do believe in the Marblehead Housing Coalition’s goals that careful and controlled growth would benefit the town, culturally and financially. But passing this act wouldn’t even do much to solve the housing problems of people like me! It would only allow our grant writer to apply for and be eligible to receive substantial and much-needed state funds to fill the town’s badly depleted coffers.
And with the recent Supreme Judicial Court ruling on the Milton protest case, the painful and totally avoidable financial consequences of refusing to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, which was passed almost unanimously by our own elected legislators, have become evident.
Working towards this end, the Marblehead Housing Coalition has been mounting a pledge card campaign to talk with concerned citizens, correct misunderstandings and gather support for making efforts to bring Marblehead into compliance as soon as possible. If no one has yet knocked on your door, you may also sign up on the Marblehead Housing Coalition at marbleheadhousingcoalition.com.
Ruth Sigler
Front Street
