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Oct. 3 has been a notoriously bad day for New England weather events, but fortunately it’s (mostly) all blue skies today.
Now, to the news:
It’s not just sticks: After warning about (and demonstrating) the consequences of flouting the MBTA Communities Act, Gov. Maura Healey is offering cities and towns a carrot. This week, Healey announced her administration is putting $15 million into a new program offering grants to support local housing and infrastructure projects — but only for cities and towns that comply with the multi-family zoning law. During a press conference in Somerville, the governor said the new MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund will “help us do what we need to do in this state, which is to build more housing … so that people can afford to stay here.”
- Why now? The fund comes ahead of a critical season for the MBTA Communities Act. Healey’s office says they expect a “wave” of additional communities to adopt rezoning plans to comply with the law at city and town meetings this fall. It’s also meant to help assuage concerns some have about the construction of more multi-family housing, according to state housing secretary Ed Augustus. “We’ve heard through many of the debates in local communities that people are worried about, ‘Hey, do we have the infrastructure necessary to build this housing?’ The governor [and] lieutenant governor listened to that, and created this new program,” Augustus told reporters Tuesday. He also noted the state has already provided $7 million in technical assistance to 156 of the 177 MBTA communities.
- Zoom out: State officials are claiming “momentum” is on their side as they head into the fall. So far, over half of the 130 communities required to adhere to the law by Dec. 31 have complied. “There’s a lot of focus on particular communities, but let’s focus on the big picture,” Healey said. “Seventy-four to two. That’s the score right now,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll added, alluding to non-compliant towns Milton and Holden. ”I don’t want to call it a blowout, because we like to play through the final whistle, but that’s a pretty big lead.” (With the addition of Southborough and Gloucester this week, that number rose to 76.)
- Zoom in: The law doesn’t require cities and towns to build new housing; they only must allow multi-family housing as of right in at least one zoning district. Still, officials say it has already spurred new construction. “We now have 1,600 units of new housing in the pipeline in these newly approved zones,” Augustus said.
- What’s next: Healey’s administration isn’t ditching the stick approach. This Monday, the state’s Supreme Judicial Court will hear arguments over the state’s lawsuit against Milton for rejecting new zoning. “This law, like any other law in the books, is mandatory,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell said.
Welp, continued: The T says it’s “unclear” when regular service will resume on the Green Line Extension. Shuttle buses are still replacing trains from North Station out to Union Square and Medford/Tufts after Tuesday evening’s derailment.
- Both the T and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating what caused the derailment. Healey told reporters Wednesday that it wasn’t a rail or track issue, suggesting “human factors,” such as the trolley operator, were the cause.
The Big EEE: For the first time in weeks, Massachusetts has no cities or towns listed as “high” or “critical” risk for EEE. The Department of Public Health downgraded 16 communities yesterday from those higher levels to “moderate risk” for the mosquito-borne disease.
- There have been four human cases (and three horse cases) of EEE in Massachusetts this year. It was the first outbreak since 2020, when 17 human cases led to seven deaths. Given the potential severity of the disease, health officials suggest continuing to take precautions against mosquitos until the first hard frost of the season.
P.S.— And the winner is… GlassHouse. Out of nearly 250 artists from Massachusetts who tried out for NPR’s Tiny Desk Contest this year, the hip-hop trio from Lawrence was our panel of judges’ favorite. You’ll see why if you listen to their entry video “Slum Village,” featuring a not-tiny desk they call “Big Table.”