Duxbury's MBTA Communities Fight

The podcast primarily discusses the town of Duxbury's ongoing efforts to comply with the Massachusetts MBTA Communities Act, a state law requiring municipalities to zone for multi-family housing. Duxbury initially rejected a zoning plan, leading to a lawsuit challenging the act's constitutionality as an unfunded mandate, though a Superior Court judge has since dismissed similar lawsuits. In response to the state's enforcement and the risk of losing significant grant funding, the town's working group developed a new strategy focusing on overlaying existing dense developments to meet requirements while minimizing new construction. Concurrently, Duxbury faces severe budget constraints, impacting public services, school staffing, and even beloved community events like the Fourth of July parade, necessitating difficult financial decisions and leading to proposed water rate increases for PFAS remediation projects.