Controversial Braintree Zoning Re-Write Withdrawn By Mayor

BRAINTREE, MA — Mayor Joseph Sullivan has withdrawn a proposed zoning re-write after more than a year of discussion, protests from residents and an entire election season that saw most candidates call for its dismissal. Sullivan, who will be stepping down as mayor in less than a month, called for the proposal to be withdrawn in a letter to the Planning Board. The board read the letter Tuesday and voted to withdraw the proposal without discussion.

In Sullivan's letter to the Planning Board, he said he's hopeful zoning and master plan discussions will continue into 2020 and include inclusionary housing requirements . These requirements would ensure that any new housing developments built set aside units for affordable housing.

"Throughout the past year, our community has been involved in an important conversation about the need to update our current zoning in order to prepare our town for the future," Sullivan's letter read. "The need to have a comprehensive zoning ordinance in place that offers clarity and direction for our residents as homeowners and those who would seek to come to Braintree for the high quality of life that we offer will be an important ingredient for the success of our community in the days ahead."

Opponents of the re-zoning ordinance, including hundreds of protesters, argued it would have allowed for too much overcrowded housing, would exacerbate traffic problems and could have fundamentally changed Braintree's "small town character." Many of the residents, town officials and candidates for public office, including Mayor-elect Charles Kokoros said the town's master plan needed to be updated before any type of zoning changes get approved. Kokoros and a Town Council with five new faces can now shift the focus to drafting an updated master plan.