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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2260 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1530
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Bradley H. Jones, Jr.
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to affordable housing and the preservation of a community's water resources.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Bradley H. Jones, Jr.20th Middlesex1/15/2025Kimberly N. Ferguson1st Worcester1/21/2025Paul K. Frost7th Worcester1/31/2025Todd M. Smola1st Hampden3/10/2025David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth1/28/2025David F. DeCoste5th Plymouth1/28/2025Hannah Kane11th Worcester1/30/2025 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 2260 FILED ON: 1/15/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1530
By Representative Jones of North Reading, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1530) of
Bradley H. Jones, Jr. and others relative to affordable housing and the preservation of
community water resources. Housing.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 1345 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_______________
In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to affordable housing and the preservation of a community's water resources.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Section 20 of chapter 40B, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended
2by striking the definition of “Consistent with local needs”, and inserting in place thereof the
3following new definition:-
4 “Consistent with local needs”, requirements and regulations shall be considered
5consistent with local needs if they are reasonable in view of the regional need for low and
6moderate income housing considered with the number of low income persons in the city or town
7affected and the need to protect the health or safety of the occupants of the proposed housing or
8of the residents of the city or town, to promote better site and building design in relation to the
9surroundings, to preserve the municipal water supply or the region’s natural water resources, or
10to preserve open spaces, and if such requirements and regulations are applied as equally as 2 of 2
11possible to both subsidized and unsubsidized housing. Requirements or regulations shall be
12consistent with local needs when imposed by a board of zoning appeals after a comprehensive
13hearing in a city or town where (1) low or moderate income housing exists which is in excess of
14ten percent of the housing units reported in the latest federal decennial census of the city or town
15or on sites comprising one and one half percent or more of the total land area zoned for
16residential, commercial or industrial use or (2) the application before the board would result in
17the commencement of construction of such housing on sites comprising more than three tenths of
18one percent of such land area or ten acres, whichever is larger, in any one calendar year;
19provided, however, that land area owned by the United States, the commonwealth or any
20political subdivision thereof, or any public authority shall be excluded from the total land area
21referred to above when making such determination of consistency with local needs.