In the case Attorney General v. Town of Milton, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) has upheld the MBTA Communities Act (Section 3A), affirming its constitutionality and its role in shaping housing and transit policy.

 What's next?

In response to the Court's decision, emergency regulations have been enacted, extending the municipal compliance deadline to July 14, 2025, allowing time for permanent regulations to be put in place. The City of Gloucester has been designated as "Interim Compliance" and has submitted a revised Action Plan in response to these changes. 

A special election will be held on April 24, 2025, to determine whether the recently adopted zoning measures will be upheld.

• If the majority of voters vote YES the MFOD will be enacted and the City will be in compliance with the State law. 

• If the majority of voters vote NO the MFOD will not go into effect and the City will have until July 14, 2025 to enact zoning that complies with the State law.