The proposed Marshfield MBTA Communities zoning district. Image courtesy of the town of Marshfield.

Voters in Halifax, Marshfield and Wrentham rejected rezoning plans to add multifamily districts to comply with the MBTA Communities law.

Under state regulations reflecting existing housing stock, Marshfield is required to rezone for development of up to 1,158 housing units.

At a special town meeting, Town Counsel Robert Galvin warned that developers could propose multifamily housing anywhere in Marshfield starting in January if the town doesn’t approve an MBTA Communities district before the Dec. 31 deadline.

“It is my opinion that a developer could come in and propose this to do it anywhere by right in the town of Marshfield, and that’s been vetted by a number of other people,” Galvin said.

The proposed 84-acre multifamily district is located on the north side of Route 139 between School Street and Marshfield High School. The area is currently occupied with commercial businesses including car dealerships and fast-food restaurants.

The proposed bylaw would have allowed construction of 4-story buildings on lots spanning at least 30,000 square feet.

Voters rejected the rezoning 289-169. Opponents said the town already suffers from overdevelopment and that the change would benefit investors at the expense of existing residents.

If all of the commercial buildings were redeveloped as housing, the town would receive an additional $1.5 million in tax revenues annually, according to a presentation by Town Planner Greg Guimond, citing assessors’ data.

Towns with commuter rail service, and adjacent communities such as Marshfield, face a Dec. 31 deadline to comply with the 2021 MBTA Communities law.

Communities that reject the law face the loss of eligibility for some state grants, and legal action.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell is suing the town of Milton, which rejected a rezoning plan in December 2023, in a case being heard by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Wrentham rejected the proposal to add two multifamily districts by a 542-53 margin at a special town meeting Monday.

And Halifax voters rejected a rezoning plan this week after the town’s Planning Board voted unanimously in November to recommend against the proposal.

In total, at least 19 communities out of 177 have so far voted down zoning designed to comply with the MBTA Communities law, with a further two – Holden and Milton – having explicitly rejected compliance. Milton is facing a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell to force it to comply.