When William Keaney looks across his street each morning, he sees what many say Marblehead is missing: a young family hurrying their children to school, bringing new life to a home that sat empty for two years after its elderly owners passed away.
“It’s a joy to see them every day,” Keaney told about 50 community members and residents gathered Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church to discuss the town’s pending MBTA Communities Act vote at May’s Town Meeting.
“It made me realize what these young families bring to our community.”
The story resonated with many at the forum, which was organized by the Marblehead Housing Coalition to bring clarity and dispel myths surrounding the MBTA Communities Act. The law requires towns like Marblehead to adjust zoning regulations to allow for more multifamily housing. Keaney and Marblehead resident Angus McQuilken led the discussion, presenting an overview of the zoning proposal and its implications before opening the conversation up. In May, voters will reconsider the same plan they rejected by just 33 votes last year — one that would permit multifamily housing in three districts and preserve the town’s access to state funding.
The Supreme Judicial Court’s recent ruling affirming the law’s constitutionality means Marblehead must eventually comply or face possible court action. The town’s revised compliance deadline is July 14, making the May Town Meeting vote crucial for maintaining local control over zoning decisions.
McQuilken underscored the urgency of compliance.
“Noncompliance is not truly an option. If we don’t act, the state won’t just walk away — they’ll step in. We either craft a plan that works for Marblehead, or we risk having one imposed on us by the courts. This vote is our chance to maintain local control.”
Since the 1970s, Keaney said Marblehead’s median age has risen from 34 to over 50, while the number of families with children under five has dropped by half. The median home price now tops $1 million, pricing out young families and preventing seniors from downsizing within their community.
“This is where our memories are. This is where our important social ties are. This is our spiritual place. This is home,” said Keaney, describing why many seniors want to stay in Marblehead. “There are many senior citizens who want to downsize and stay because they don’t want to lose those important social ties in the last stage of their lives, but they can’t afford to stay here.”
The largest proposed zone, encompassing 29.8 acres along Tioga Way, includes existing multi-family housing developments and underdeveloped office buildings that could be converted. A 20.6-acre district along Pleasant Street would incorporate downtown areas including Village Plaza, Five Corners and commercial properties like National Grand Bank, with potential for residential units above street-level businesses. The third district along Broughton Road spans 8 acres and includes existing Marblehead Housing Authority properties. Of the 897 total units required under the MBTA Communities Act, 300 existing units would count toward compliance, leaving a maximum of 597 new units that could potentially be built.
During public comments, housing professional and Marblehead resident Jim Regis offered a sobering analysis of development economics that challenged some of the coalition’s messaging about housing opportunities.
“Building senior housing is almost impossible right now,” Regis said, citing construction costs approaching $500,000 per unit. “It’s very hard to build a $500,000 unit for one person and be able to have low, affordable rents. There just is no money for senior housing.”
Yet others saw the proposal as a crucial first step toward addressing the town’s housing challenges. Marblehead resident Nick Ward, who described himself as a “born again American,” argued passionately for broader housing access.
“Everyone deserves access to dignified housing in this country — young, old, gay, straight, black, white, Asian, but also poor, middle class, upper class,” Ward said. “It took Massachusetts 50 years to get into the housing crunch that it is in now … This is the first step on a long journey because it was a long journey to get to where we are today.”
The Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the MBTA zoning article on March 11.
