MBTA Communities Advisory Committee

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Updated April 19, 2024 @ 10:04 am

NEW 4/18/2024 - The MBTA Communities Advisory Committee made its final report to the Select Board on 4/18/2024 and was formally dissolved. This website will serve as an ongoing archive of the work of the Committee and MBTA Communities resources for the public. Please also see a dedicated project page on the Planning Board site HERE.

4/1/2024 - The MBTA Communities Advisory Committee voted 6-1 to adopt a single map scenario for MBTA Communities zoning at their meeting of 4/1/2024. Currently this map is being vetted by consultant Utile through the Compliance Model and zoning specifics will emerge shortly.

QUICK LINKS

• Committee Adopted Map  |  NEW Committee Report for Planning Board
• Complete Map Series (Map E12a on p. 33 is the adopted map)
• Citizen Comment Form (comments will be posted on the comments page here)
• Glossary of Terms
• Frequently Asked Questions (frequently updated)

The MBTA Communities Advisory Committee has been established by the Select Board as a Committee to advise the Select and Planning Boards on M.G.L c. 40A Section 3A (the Zoning Act) that requires an MBTA community to have at least 1 zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing (three or more units on a single site) is permitted "as-of-right". Belmont is considered a Commuter Rail Community and according to the 2020 Census, the town currently has 10,882 housing units. This means that to comply with Section 3A, Belmont must establish one (or more) as-of-right zoning districts that total at least 28 acres and have a zoned capacity for 1,632 units. 

The Committee is composed of the members listed below and typically now meets 2-4 times a month. The Committee values your opinions and input. Please consider attending meetings of the Committee which usually begin at 5:30 pm and run an hour or more. This is a working Committee and while public input is part of every meeting, it is often short and at the end. Belmont is planning for more intensive public participation prior to finalizing a set of maps and zoning districts. One such meeting will be a public workshop where displays will be situated around a large gathering space, allowing the public to circulate and see close-ups of proposed areas. The workshop may also have a brief presentation and a Q&A. The Committee may also plan for multiple "neighborhood" meetings to allow for a more intimate discussion of specific areas that have been proposed. Again, we hope you can make one or more of these meetings. But regardless, we welcome hearing from you via email, snail mail, telephone, or in person.

Committee Members