WAKEFIELD — The Planning Board will be holding a series of sessions where the public will be invited to ask questions regarding the mandate from the state to institute an MBTA Multifamily Overlay District.
In a recently passed bill the State of Massachusetts is requiring that MBTA communities shall have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right. Under the law Wakefield is classified as a Commuter Rail Community and required to create an overlay district within 1/2 mile from our Commuter Rail Stations. Wakefield’s Planning Board will create this MBTA overlay district in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) final guidance and with input from residents.
The Planning Board is hosting a series of Question and Answer sessions at its regularly scheduled meetings on December 13, 2022, January 24, 2023, and February 28, 2023 to invite the public to learn more about the requirements of the law and provide feedback regarding how to create an Overlay District that meets the State’s mandate while still respecting the wishes of Wakefield’s residents.
All meetings begin at 7 p.m. On December 13, the discussion will start around 7:05 p.m.
Please feel free to learn more including how to call into the Question and Answer sessions at: https://www.wakefield.ma.us/planning-board