Cohousing-L Mailing List: Today at Strong Towns: Is Massachusetts going to sue cities over zoning?

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

On Jan 29, 2025, at 11:27 AM, Sharon Villines <sharon [at] sharonvillines.com> 
wrote:

The latest news from Strong Towns. If Massachusetts can win this legal battle, 
it will be a death knell for restrictive zoning.

> Massachusetts signed a law requiring communities that are served by the 
> Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) to legalize multifamily housing. 
> Recently, a state court ruled that Massachusetts has the authority to sue 
> cities and towns that don’t comply.
> 
> P.S. The State of Strong Towns Zoom address is tomorrow, January 30, at 4 
> p.m. EST.  "Why Massachusetts Might Sue Its Cities Over Zoning Codes”
> 
> In this episode, Abby and Chuck discuss a recent court ruling that confirmed 
> Massachusetts has the authority to sue cities and towns that don’t comply 
> with its multifamily zoning requirements near transit stations.

https://www.strongtowns.org/

Should I ever stop writing emails all day I would like to write about how 
democracy has to "begin at home” in neighborhoods. One thing cohousing could 
advertise about itself is that it builds functioning democracies.

Strong Towns description of itself:

> Strong Towns is replacing America’s postwar pattern of development, the 
> Suburban Experiment, with a pattern of development that is financially strong 
> and resilient. We advocate for cities of all sizes to be safe, livable and 
> inviting. We elevate local government as the highest level of collaboration 
> for people working together in a place, not merely the lowest level in a 
> hierarchy of governments.

Sharon
----
Sharon Villines, Washington DC

There is no reason to believe that bureaucrats and politicians, no matter how 
well-meaning, are better at solving problems than the people on the spot, who 
have the strongest incentive to get the solution right.  — Elinor Ostrom, Nobel 
Prize in Economics, 2009