MARBLEHEAD— A failure to comply with Massachusetts’ MBTA Communities Zoning Law 3A may cost the town competitive state and federal grants.
While residents might not immediately feel the effects, the long-term consequences could be significant — particularly when it comes to infrastructure, climate resilience, and community development projects.
The 3A law, passed in 2021, requires that MBTA communities, including Marblehead, zone for multi-family housing near transit hubs. The goal is to address the statewide housing shortage and create more diverse, walkable, and transit-connected neighborhoods.
But Marblehead, like several other towns, has yet to come into compliance. That decision carries more than just legal and political implications — it comes with financial ones as well.
“Marblehead is going to start seeing grant applications that say ‘3A compliance required,’ or that compliance will be heavily weighted in the scoring process,” said State Rep. Jenny Armini, who represents the 8th Essex District. “That means the town will either be immediately discounted or disadvantaged in the judging process. It’s a real financial risk.”
The state divides grant funding into two broad categories: formula grants, which are distributed based on criteria like population or road mileage, and discretionary grants, which require competitive applications.
Formula grants — such as Chapter 70 (education funding) and Chapter 90 (road maintenance) — are not affected by 3A status.
“But discretionary grants are a different story,” Armini explained. “Those are competitive. You have to apply for them, and they represent a huge amount of funding.”
One immediate casualty of noncompliance: the town’s ability to access the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program — a climate resiliency grant that has already brought significant planning dollars into Marblehead.
“MVP is a terrific program. It funded all the studies and planning work around the Parker’s Boatyard area, where the light department is,” Armini said. “The harbor is rising. Storms are more powerful. We need to protect that infrastructure. The MVP grant paid for that planning.”
In 2024, the town received a $2 million grant for construction updates to Parker’s Boatyard. That grant came after an MVP-funded planning phase.
“But now, because we’re not in compliance, we may not get the next round,” Armini noted.
Another looming issue is the Village Street Bridge, the only bridge in Marblehead. It’s structurally deficient and overdue for repairs.
“We were going to use state funding to match potential federal dollars for that project,” said Armini. “But again, the town’s ability to compete for that kind of funding is compromised if we’re not 3A compliant.
“Anything the town competes for — and that’s the bulk of how the state and federal governments distribute funding — becomes harder to get,” she said.
Though Marblehead isn’t alone in resisting the law, as several other towns have pushed back or requested more time, the practical consequences are starting to appear.
The challenge for Marblehead officials, Armini explained, is deciding whether to invest time and resources into applications that might be doomed from the start.
“Do you spend staff hours writing these proposals, knowing you’ll be penalized or outright rejected? That’s a tough call,” she said.
