Early review finds MBTA Communities Act has added nearly 7,000 housing units to pipeline so far

A five-year check-in on a cornerstone zoning mandate

An early assessment of Massachusetts’ MBTA Communities Act finds the law is beginning to translate zoning changes into new housing proposals, though the overall scale remains limited relative to the region’s shortage. The review links nearly 7,000 housing units to projects that entered permitting, construction, or occupancy after communities adopted zoning intended to meet the law’s requirements.

The MBTA Communities Act requires municipalities served by MBTA transit—177 cities and towns statewide—to create at least one district where multifamily housing is allowed “by right,” meaning projects that meet zoning rules can proceed without the discretionary special permits that often add time and uncertainty. The mandate was enacted amid persistent concerns that decades of restrictive local zoning have constrained housing supply and contributed to rising costs across Greater Boston.

What the pipeline shows—and what it does not

The projects identified so far span more than 100 developments across 34 eastern Massachusetts communities. The review also underscores that development is heavily concentrated: a relatively small number of large projects account for most of the total units, while many other developments are small, sometimes in the single digits.

• Nearly 7,000 units tied to MBTA Communities-related zoning are in permitting, construction, or occupancy.
• Those units are spread across more than 100 projects in 34 communities.
• Nineteen projects of more than 100 units each account for roughly three-quarters of the identified pipeline.

Because the analysis focuses on projects that can be connected to the new zoning districts, it is not a complete inventory of all housing being planned or built in Massachusetts. It is, however, a snapshot of what the law’s rezoning requirements appear to be enabling in practice, and where results are accumulating.

Not always near rail stations, despite the name

One of the report’s central findings is geographic: only about 30% of the units in the identified pipeline are located within a half-mile of train stations. State guidelines allow communities flexibility in drawing district boundaries, including siting multifamily districts outside immediate station areas when local conditions limit developable land near rail. Many districts still connect to town centers, bus routes, and other transportation options, but the pattern suggests the law’s effects are not exclusively rail-adjacent.

Compliance, enforcement, and the next phase

The review arrives as state officials emphasize that rezoning is only the first step and that actual construction can lag years behind changes to local zoning maps. As of early January 2026, 165 of the 177 municipalities covered by the statute had adopted compliant zoning or received interim or conditional approval. Twelve communities remained out of compliance after deadlines that fell in mid-2025 or at the end of 2025: Carver, Dracut, East Bridgewater, Freetown, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Rehoboth, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop.

State enforcement options remained under discussion as January 2026 deadlines approached, with officials signaling that legal action could follow for communities that do not adopt and submit required zoning.

With the region’s housing needs measured in the tens of thousands of units, the early results indicate the law is generating measurable activity—while leaving open the question of whether current zoning districts will ultimately support the volume of completed homes policymakers say is necessary.