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Checkers923 t1_jd5q8v4 wrote

Reply to comment by Vistaer in They’ve Been Warned: Attorney General Says Suburbs ‘Must Comply’ With Transit-Oriented Housing Law by psychothumbs

I like that holden is in quotes.

What is the requirement for a town like Holden? The article says that the zoning generally should be within a half mile of the transit stop, but no part of Holden is even within 5 miles of a transit stop.

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TiredPistachio t1_jd68mwi wrote

Holden has to zone 50 acres at 15 units per acre. That's what this does. It's zoning

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Checkers923 t1_jd7h9zx wrote

Thanks! I understand its a zoning requirement (not a building requirement), I’m curious where Holden is required to put those acres, or if its up to them to decide.

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TiredPistachio t1_jd7jhax wrote

Wherever they want, but I mean they will put them in places that "make sense" for the town. They will also likely put them in parts of their town that already have apartments or density. I dont see anything on the official website that says it has to be new zones. Not sure about Holden though never been.

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65fairmont t1_jd8vqy2 wrote

Holden is a ruralish suburb that's not a particularly easy commute to the nearest commuter rail station. There's no way to build "transit oriented housing" there, no one living in Holden is walking or biking to any public transportation.

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TiredPistachio t1_jd9ahll wrote

Yeah my guess is nothing will really be built there because of this. Not sure why it didn't qualify for the "small community" adjustment. I'm guessing land area is decent. Dover for the small community adjustment and only has to zone for like 100 units. Its ridiculous

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65fairmont t1_jd9atpx wrote

Yeah it has almost 20K people and it borders a town (Worcester) that has commuter rail, but it's still ridiculous. The zoning changes should only apply within a mile of transit, which would exclude Holden and most of the other further-off towns.

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Vistaer t1_jd5qijh wrote

Even Paxton is an adjacent small town community: https://www.mhp.net/assets/resources/documents/MBTA_simple_category_combo_8-4-22.jpg

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Checkers923 t1_jd5s5j6 wrote

Pretty sure a half mile zone of Paxton could fit the entire population of Paxton

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its-a-crisis t1_jd5ybpg wrote

What defines community versus small town? The two shades of yellow.

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