The Burlington Select Board unanimously supported the Planning Board’s proposal to comply with the state MBTA Communities law, which requires Burlington to create at least 50 acres of by-right multi-family housing by the end of 2024.
It’s a plan that the Planning Board spent months crafting with a working group of Town Meeting Members, developers, business representatives and concerned citizens, with the goal of meeting the state’s goals for denser housing while minimally changing the character of the community. The final plan cobbles together more than 50 acres by adding overlays on top of much of Burlington’s existing multi-family plots, like the Lifetime Living apartments and the Beacon Woods Condominiums, and adds a multi-family overly on a section of commercial properties between Middlesex Turnpike and Great Meadow Road. According to Planning Board staff, that parcel would benefit from some mixed-use development.
Winning the Select Board’s approval is a key step for Planning Director Liz Bonventre, who hopes Town Meeting will approve the proposal in its May meeting. If Town Meeting fails to support the measure, Burlington could lose out on millions in state grants.
“Like many people I’m not a fan of the law, not a fan of the state dictating what we should do in our individual towns and communities,” said Select Board Vice Chair Mike Espejo. “Even though I’m not a fan of the law, I also think we have to comply, and the plan that Planning has come up with is the most palatable and least painful and most effective way for us to comply with the law and not really change the tenor or scope of the landscape of the town.”
It was a stance shared by most of the board.
“We can argue all day about how we feel about the state enacting laws, but I think as communities we’re all subscribed to a social contract. But even if you take all of that out of the equation and look at Burlington specifically, and look at how the world is moving and shifting, there’s a need for housing. There’s a need for housing because people and business are trying to come together and coexist in a habitable place where you can work from home or be closer to a small office, and if we can meet a state law and have that in our pocket, it seems like a win-win.”
Select Board Member Sarah Cawley said she’s heard two concerns about the plan from members of the community: On one side, a feeling that the MBTA Communities Act is an overreach by the state and the town should fight it; and on the other side, a feeling that the Planning Board’s solution doesn’t go far enough in creating affordable or denser housing. Cawley addressed both positions:
“I sympathize with both those points of view, but this is a law on the books, and we stand to lose a lot if we don’t comply. Not just a few million dollars; many millions of dollars, including MWRA. If we fight it, that’s a risk I do not think we should not be taking as a town. I think we can do more [for affordable housing] and we will, but this plan allows us to do that in our own way as a town while also complying with the law.”
The Select Board members anticipated – and in fact welcomed – rigorous discussion on the topic at May’s Town Meeting, which is scheduled for Monday, May 13. If necessary, Town Meeting will also convene on Wednesday, May 15 and Monday, May 20.