Letter to the Editor

3A Compliance is the Right Path for Winthrop

Dear Editor,

Recently, Town Council voted (4 to 3, 2 abstain) to reject the zoning plan recommended unanimously by the  Planning Board to bring Winthrop into legal compliance with Section 3A/MBTA Communities Act. In doing this, the Town Council voted to violate Massachusetts state law – a law signed by Charlie Baker with near unanimous approval by our state legislature.

Is this “No” vote truly a win for Winthrop?  What happens next?

One possible outcome is that the Planning Board will be asked to propose another plan.  After all, the recent “no” vote was not a rejection of the law itself but of the plan put forward by the board. This endeavor would require a new overlay district to meet compliance;  previously presented areas and plans are no longer viable. 

Another scenario is that the State could  appoint a “Special Master” to decide for us.

Currently, we are following Milton’s path:  towards being out of compliance by our deadline (12/31/2024), and likely facing  a lawsuit from the state Attorney General. Remember, Milton is a wealthier town than Winthrop and can more easily afford this.  On top of this, the new economic package just signed by the governor places even more grants out of reach of those who are not in compliance with MBTA 3A. Our community needs more state funding not less.  How do our residents feel about paying high legal bills? Where will that money come from? Will our taxes rise significantly? With less aid from the Commonwealth we’ll certainly be faced with 2 and 1/2 overrides and requests for debt exclusions. 

None of these scenarios are pleasant. In our view all of them are worse for the town than saying yes to Plan A.  We can’t sugarcoat this: not complying with 3A will have negative long-term effects on the financial well-being of our town.

We have a zero-impact plan in front of us. The duty of the Town Council is to follow the law, and approve a common sense plan crafted with Winthrop’s needs in mind. Once again, by refusing to approve a plan that gives us credit for our existing housing, the Town Council is not upholding state law.

The Town Council should revisit and approve the plan put forward by the Review Board. Then we can move on to address the many critical issues still facing our town. These include the town’s overall budget and the funding shortages facing the school system.

That would be the real win for Winthrop.

Joe Aiello

Leonora Foley

Scott Mahoney-Wright

Cassie Witthaus

(Representing Winthrop Working Together)

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