With just over a week to go until the end of the legislative session, a key piece of zoning reform legislation is still stuck in conference committee as part of a larger economic development bill.
Both the House and the Senate included versions of a proposal by Gov. Charlie Baker, which has become known as “Housing Choice,” in their respective packages of grants and other economic development spending measures this summer. Both chambers’ bills would make it substantially easier for municipalities to pass rezoning measures that enable housing production, although the Senate’s version would also set statewide housing production goals and would require that every community in the MBTA’s service area rezone an area near its “bus stations” and commuter rail, subway or ferry stops for family-oriented multifamily housing with a minimum density of 15 units per acre or lose access to an important source of state infrastructure grant funding.
Scholars, housing advocates and business groups have argued moderate increases in density near mass Greater Boston’s transit stations are necessary to help solve Boston’s housing crisis, and a 2019 analysis by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership predicted as many as 257,000 homes could be built in areas around MBTA stations under such a scenario.
With the economic development bills authorizing millions of dollars of aid to small businesses, local officials and the governor have been calling for the conference committee to finish its work.
More than 50 municipal officials including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh urged legislative leaders to take quick action on the bills in mid-December, saying “without immediate action, many of our small businesses will not survive to see an economic recovery.” And Baker called on Massachusetts residents to call their state representatives and senators and urge them to wrap up negotiations during a press conference last week.
“The clock is ticking on the end of the session with respect to that, but the clock is also ticking for businesses here in the commonwealth that would benefit from those resources if we could get them across to our desk, sign them, and put them to work,” he said.
The legislation, which includes money for many local projects that are important to rank-and-file senators and representatives, joins several major items on Beacon Hill’s to-do list.
With the state’s finances uncertain, lawmakers only recently wrapped up work on a budget for the state fiscal year that started in July. Major bills dealing with carbon emissions and transportation spending are going on six months in conference committees, with just over a week remaining for formal sessions before the new session starts Wednesday, Jan. 6.
Legislative leaders are facing pressure to override Baker’s abortion bill veto and also plan this week to restore more spending to the $45.9 billion fiscal 2021 budget through veto override votes.
Staff writer James Sanna contributed to this report.



