Natick Hosts MBTA Communities Public Meeting This Month

NATICK, MA — Local Community and Economic Development Department leadership has scheduled a meeting for later this month to share findings from and explore design options related to the MBTA Communities law in Natick.

Natick officials will host the public meeting on July 23 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Great Room of the Community Center, 117 East Central St.

Officials with RKG Associates and Innes Associates will discuss their findings for the West Natick area while residents will be able to share their take on design options.

This is another step for the West Natick Route 135 Plan, which hopes to get the town in compliance with the law by December 2024.

The MBTA Communities law has been controversial since before it was added to the books. The law affects 177 cities and towns between Boston and Worcester, and requires each one to create new zones where multifamily housing would be allowed. The law does not require the construction of new homes.

Officials say the West Natick Plan will increase housing density around the West Natick Commuter Rail station by changing the current zoning from Limited Commercial to Mixed-Use Residential Development style, which requires a mixture of residential, commercial, institutional and industrial.

More than 50 towns have approved zoning plans this spring, including Acton, Medfield and Lincoln. Some towns have resisted the law, however.

Milton is the most famous case, with state officials revoking grants and suing the town after voters overturned a zoning plan earlier this year. Marblehead rejected a proposed zoning plan this week at a heated Town Meeting.