Middleboro Drops Suit Over MBTA Housing Law, Five Other Towns Now Litigating

PLYMOUTH – The Town of Middleboro is settling its lawsuit with the state of Massachusetts over the MBTA Communities Act.

The law requires towns and cities that have T transit stops to create a multi-family housing district within a half-mile of the station.

Middleboro claimed it was already in compliance with the law, and they said thanks to the settlement, they will not need to adopt any new zoning.

Instead, they’ll expand a Chapter 40-R zoning district that was enabled by a town meeting in 2021.

Meanwhile, there are five new towns that are now fighting the Communities Act. Representatives appeared in Plymouth Superior Court on Wednesday on behalf of Hanson, Holden, Marshfield, Middleton and Wrentham.

Bourne is the only Cape Cod town covered by the MBTA Communities Act. The Cape is served by the seasonal CapeFLYER. There are now two commuter rail lines that serve Southeast Massachusetts, after last month’s debut of the Fall River/New Bedford Line.