Marblehead's 3A zoning plan would allow for up to 897 units of multifamily housing in the three districts identified in the plan (897 represents the "unit capacity" of these districts). This is about a 10 percent increase over Marblehead's existing housing stock.

Great! Please email us at info@marbleheadhousingcoalition.com.

The core reason to pass 3A zoning is because it is good for Marblehead. There are many reasons 3A zoning is good for Marblehead, and you can find them outlined throughout our website. But most fundamentally, Marblehead needs more choice in its housing stock to support the needs of its changing population. Many seniors in our town want to "age in place", but would like a home that is smaller and easier to maintain, or perhaps which has single floor living. But they cannot find housing that meets their needs. At the other end of the spectrum, some of our young adults who grew up in this town want to start their families here but can't find housing they can afford.

Some communities have already created and implemented 3A zoning plans. For example, in Lexington, one of the state's wealthiest communities with a highly ranked school system, their 3A zoning plan went well above the 10 percent increase in unit capacity targeted by Marblehead's plan. In the year and a half since Lexington implemented its 3A zoning plan, median home values are up 14.2 percent. And, crucially, new housing to diversify Lexington's housing stock is in the works with multiple applications submitted for new construction and home builders contemplating public improvements that benefit all of Lexington's residents, such as sewer upgrades. To learn more about Lexington's experience, please see this editorial from the Boston Business Journal on the failure of 3A zoning fears to materialize (paywalled).

Marblehead's 3A zoning plan would relax zoning regulation on owners' private property rights in three areas centered on Broughton Road, Pleasant Street and Tioga Way. Specifically, it would allow property owners, builders, and developers to build multifamily housing of a moderate density without having to go through as many onerous permitting processes as they face today.

It is true that the legislation which catalyzed Marblehead's push toward 3A zoning was passed by the state. But the Marblehead Housing Coalition believes that we should enact 3A zoning because it is good for Marblehead. Even without the state's mandate, the underlying budget challenges facing the town due to a lack of economic progress would have had to be addressed eventually and this is a great opportunity to do so. For further context, the legislation underpinning 3A zoning has broad bipartisan support. It was passed in 2021 unanimously in the Senate, and by 143 to 4 in the House (including by Marblehead's representative at the time, Lori Ehrlich). It was then signed by Republican Governor Baker and is being pursued by Democratic Governor Healy. Furthermore, the Marblehead Housing Coalition does not believe that state mandates are bad per se. Activities that towns in Massachusetts are required to engage in by state mandate include prudent financial management (Chapter 44), provision of public education (Chapter 70), and provision of fire protection and emergency services (Chapter 111). What matters is what's good for individual towns, and 3A zoning is good for Marblehead.

The MBTA itself is not involved in 3A zoning. The underlying state legislation which catalyzed Marblehead's push toward 3A zoning is often referred to as the "MBTA Communities Act" because of its focus on communities with MBTA service (Marblehead is adjacent to Swampscott, which has a commuter rail station, and is served directly by the 441 bus line to Wonderland T station). To avoid confusion, the Marblehead Housing Coalition generally refers to this issue as "3A zoning" a reference to Section 3A of MA General Law, Chapter 40A (The Zoning Act), the relevant state legislation.

They are embracing it in overwhelming numbers. As of July 2024, over 70 towns and communities in Massachusetts had voted in favor of their 3A zoning plans.

It means that development may proceed, within the guidelines of applicable zoning, without the need for additional layers of red tape and bureaucracy to slow down the process such as special permitting for a variance. As long as proposed project complies in all respects with the requirements of the zoned area, development may proceed. That said, site plan reviews remain legitimate as a tool to ensure compliance with zoning. See here for more information.

No, Marblehead's existing infrastructure including water, sewer and electrical grid are all capable of this modest increase in the housing stock. In fact, Marblehead's population has declined by about 1,000 residents since 1970 so we know the town is capable of supporting additional residents. Furthermore, the properties in Marblehead's 3A districts are owned by many different people. Any development would necessarily have to take place over a number of years because of the different timing of when those property owners might choose to make changes or to sell their properties.

3A zoning is not primarily about the creation of affordable housing. Marblehead's plan calls for just 10 percent of housing units permitted under its 3A zoning plan to be affordable. In this case, affordable means individuals earning not less than 80 percent of area median income. Marblehead's median income is about $164,000 which means our 3A zoning affordability requirements will address individuals earning approximately $131,000 a year. Keep in mind that the nationwide individual median income is $40,500. Instead, 3A zoning is primarily about addressing the lack of market rate housing, which the Marblehead Housing Coalition supports. Affordable housing is a crucial need, but the reality is that if we cannot solve the market rate piece of Marblehead's housing challenges, we will never be able to get to our affordable housing needs.

There are two types of density in the context of zoning. Gross density refers to housing units over a particular area including surrounding public rights of way such as sidewalks and streets. Net density refers to housing units over a single parcel. Net density is always higher than gross density. Parts of Marblehead's Old Town have a gross density of 30 units per acre and there are individual buildings with net densities as high as 100 units per acre. Marblehead's 3A zoning plan provides for a gross density of just 15 units per acre. The below visualization shows 15 units per acre at different scales.

No, it doesn't. 3A zoning can simultaneously improve affordability while preserving and even enhancing the value of existing homes. The critical issue to understand here is that 3A zoning will create housing that is more affordable on an absolute basis, not a relative basis. What does that mean? Simply put, a multifamily unit of housing with 1,500 square feet of living area will be absolutely more affordable to purchase than a single family home with 3,000 square feet or greater. In Marblehead, that difference is about $400,000 as the median condo comes in at just under $600,000 vs. the median single family home which comes in at just over $1,000,000. To see the economics of this in action, consider Boston's Beacon Hill or Back Bay neighborhoods. Single family homes in these neighborhoods are far more expensive on a per square foot basis than Marblehead (single family homes in these areas are relatively less affordable). This is despite being surrounded by many more units of multifamily housing, which are more affordable on an absolute basis. Marblehead's 3A zoning plan does not allow for anywhere near the density of Back Bay or Beacon Hill, and nor should it. The point is to illustrate that higher single family home prices go along with the construction of more multifamily housing. In conclusion, creating more multifamily housing units will increase housing choice. This will be especially helpful to our seniors and young adults that wish to stay in town.

Nothing. 3A zoning does not require the Town of Marblehead, or anyone for that matter, to build anything.

Marblehead's housing stock is approximately 77 percent single family homes. This makes Marblehead unusual for having one of the highest percentages of single family homes of North Shore communities (see below, Source: U.S. Census, Table S2504: Physical Housing Characteristics for Occupied Housing Units). This severely limits housing options available for Marblehead residents. For example, seniors who want to downsize and "age in place" here in Marblehead simply have nowhere to go. Similarly, young people raised in this town who want a multifamily unit of housing to start their family can't find one. The Marblehead Housing Coalition's goal is to diversify the town's housing stock and multifamily housing is what we need.

Absolutely not. Marblehead's 3A zoning plan allows for construction of multifamily housing at a gross density of 15 units per acre. For reference, this is significantly less dense than Marblehead's Revolutionary era Old Town which runs to a density of up to 30 units per acre in some parts. Furthermore, our 3A zoning plan provides height and lot size limits to align any new construction with our existing built environment. And the continued requirement for building permits and site reviews provide further checks on development.

In theory, if 3A zoning were going to affect property prices due to an increase in multifamily supply, we should see a slowdown in property prices growth across affected communities as prospective buyers anticipate more supply coming to market. That's in fact not what we see. The below chart shows property price change across all 3A "adjacent communities". Lexington not only passed a 3A zoning plan 18 months ago, that plan has been implemented and Lexington is receiving applications for housing development. Its home values have grown much faster than Marblehead's. Keep in mind the median home in Lexington sells for $1.5M vs. $1.0M in Marblehead. The story is similar in Sudbury where the town has passed a 3A zoning plan, although it is not yet in place. Home prices have nevertheless grown rapidly. At the other end of the spectrum, North Reading, which rejected its 3A zoning plan, has seen the slowest growth in housing prices out of any town in this category. Winthrop, which is strongly resisting passage of a 3A plan, has similarly seen sluggish housing price growth.

No, in fact the opposite is likely true. Despite building less housing than surrounding communities, Marblehead's single family housing prices have increased at a slower rate. This is because we have missed out on the economic benefits of new housing construction and the increased capacity for community investment from higher tax receipts.

Over time, it will decrease the pressure to pass an override. New housing construction counts as "new growth taxation" which adds to the total tax receipts a town can collect beyond the limits mandated by Proposition 2 1/2. This strengthens the town's budget by increasing revenues without increasing tax rates on existing residents.

No - it does the opposite! Right now, if you own a single family home in Marblehead your property rights are severely restricted by local regulation. 3A zoning will alleviate some of that regulatory burden for homeowners in the identified districts.

Housing production and school enrollment have become disconnected from one another: New housing does not necessarily lead to an increase in school enrollment. This is because statewide, Massachusetts' under 18 population fell by 17 percent from 2010 to 2020. With our school system underutilized, parental preferences over where to move, such as proximity to jobs, are more predictive of school enrollment changes than new housing construction.

Great question! Our research into top school districts in Massachusetts shows that in at least half of cases where a school district saw an increase in enrollment, the cost of additional students was entirely offset by additional taxation generated by new housing construction.

They embrace it! Since 2020, Marblehead's rate of new growth taxation, a proxy for housing development, has lagged significantly behind the rates of top school districts across Massachusetts.

Marblehead's school enrollment has declined from just under 3,300 students in the 2013-2014 school year to 2,600 for 2023-2024. This suggests available capacity in Marblehead's school system, especially as any increase in school enrollment would be gradual and take place over time. Furthermore, the nature of fixed vs. variable costs means that an increase in school enrollment shouldn't be thought of as removing resources from an individual child.

Actually, denser housing has a lower carbon footprint than single family homes. In this study from the University of California, Berkeley, you can see how suburban areas have higher per household carbon footprints than denser urban cores that are more walkable. Ultimately, by moderately increasing the density of Marblehead's housing stock, our goal is to reduce traffic by creating more walkable neighborhoods and reducing the number of times people are forced to drive their cars, even when they don't want to.

3A zoning will help preserve it! By alleviating pressure on our existing housing supply, we face less pressure to encroach or use existing conservation land.

Perhaps the most wrong myth in this list. Institutional investors love to buy assets that are supply constrained, like housing currently is in the United States. When you constrain the supply of something, its price rises. So obstructing new housing construction actually makes you an agent of institutional investors like Blackstone that are pursuing residential real estate as an investment class. But don't take our word for it. Here is Jon Gray, the billionaire president and COO of Blackstone, explaining during an earnings call how reduced housing supply leaves Blackstone in better shape (emphasis added): "...unlike almost every other down cycle, what we have going into this, particularly in logistics and rental housing is low rates of vacancy and limited new supply... So, we go into this in a better shape".

Again, completely wrong. 3A zoning is aimed at upending the stifling government regulation that has caused home builders to focus on the luxury end of the market in recent decades. The reason new housing construction often focuses on luxury residences is because local government restrictions are so onerous, the economics of new development only favor housing for our wealthiest citizens. By unlocking the power of the free market, 3A zoning will give developers and home builders more latitude in the projects they can profitably finance, opening the way for more housing that targets middle and low income earners.

This is completely false. Special Town Meetings have been a fabric of Marblehead's town government for a long time and a cursory examination of the historical record highlights numerous examples. In fact, the single family zoning which covers most of Marblehead's buildable land is itself a product of an October 1972 Special Town Meeting! In 1953, there were not one but two Special Town Meetings. The Select Board convened a Special Town Meeting on January 12, 1953 where town residents voted in favor of construction of a new high school on Village Street, that school is today the Village School (January 15, 1953 - Marblehead Messenger). But, in echoes of the situation parents today, 80 year old resident Joseph Martin collected 300 signatures to force the convening of a second Special Town Meeting with the aim of rescinding the vote of the first town meeting. He was defeated by 429 votes to 317. (January 29 and February 19, 1953 - Marblehead Messenger). In 1972, there were also two Special Town Meetings! In April, voters defeated by 554-402 a request from the School Building Committee for $10 million to build a new high school (April 13, 1972 - Marblehead Messenger). But the Select Board was not done that year. In October, they convened a second Special Town Meeting at which the town voted into place many of Marblehead's existing single family residence districts (October 19, 1972 - Marblehead Reporter) There was also a Special Town Meeting in January 1976 to ratify teacher contracts for the 1975-1976 school year (January 22, 1976 - Marblehead Reporter). Note that these five examples of Special Town Meetings, four of which were convened by the Select Board, were found with just 60 minutes of research. And they only run to 1976 because that is when the town's digital archives terminate. It is likely that Special Town Meetings persisted through the 1980s and 1990s. Furthermore, Marblehead has always been willing to vote multiple times on the same issue. In the mid 1600s, shortly after the town's founding, hard liquor was considered such a part of the town's culture it was served to all voters (all men, at that time) at the start of town meetings (Samuel Roads, The History and Traditions of Marblehead). By 1886, attitudes had completely changed and the temperance movement was ascendant. In March 1886, the town voted to ban the granting of licenses for the sale of "intoxicating liquors" (March 12, 1886 - Marblehead Messenger). Of course, as we all know, the voters of Marblehead would eventually change their minds and we now issue liquor licenses under Chapter 138 of Massachusetts General Laws.

Wrong. Marblehead has huge pent up demand for multifamily housing among its existing residents, especially seniors and young adults. If we construct multifamily housing in Marblehead it won't be penniless migrants queuing up to purchase multifamily housing likely to debut at median prices of $590,000.

Also wrong. The Marblehead Housing Coalition has nothing to hide in its agenda: We want to diversify Marblehead's housing stock by building more housing. Developers build housing. It is that simple.

We disagree. 3A zoning is good for Marblehead and as we've stated elsewhere, the state mandates towns do various things that nobody objects to, like providing public education.

Totally wrong. Massachusetts, including Marblehead, has had extensive single family zoning since the 1970s. But there are still property developers in this state and they still make money. Either supply of housing is constrained allowing them to simply charge higher rents on existing properties (bad), or supply is relaxed and they make money by building more housing and providing more people a place to live (good). We believe that America's brand of capitalism is part of what made this country great, but we would rather see developers channel their efforts into building homes for people than extracting rents.

Marblehead only implemented its strict regime of single family zoning in the 1970s, which is less than 15 percent of the town's lifespan. The real character of our town is in its Revolutionary era Old Town where housing density is much higher than in the more recent neighborhoods developed in the 20th century. 3A zoning will, we hope, encourage more of the housing and building that we cherish so much.