Sen. Edwards’s suggestion about 3A sells Winthrop short
Dear Editor,
In a Guest Op-Ed in the September 29, 2025, edition of the Winthrop Sun Transcript, Lydia Edwards, who represents Winthrop as our State Senator, suggested that there is a reasonable debate over Winthrop’s acceptance of the MBTA Communities Act, also known as 3A. Recognizing that Winthrop is in violation of 3A for not submitting a required plan and is being penalized by the state by losing the opportunity to obtain certain Massachusetts state grants, Edwards suggests that Winthrop should approve 3A and wait for the outcome of a state election that could repeal 3A. This would permit Winthrop to compete for said grants until the people of Massachusetts decide in the election of November 2026.
Senator Edwards is actually offering Winthrop the possibility of state money for giving up Winthrop’s – and its citizens – rights to home rule – as well as making a difficult and dangerous situation for Winthrop’s residents worse.
Let me explain.
Developer Control: 3A is a first step in turning prescribed areas of Winthrop over to developers. 3A demands a plan from Winthrop as a prelude to taking Winthrop’s zoning rights — not for itself, but rather as “by right,” to developers. These developers then can basically ignore the authority of Winthrop and its elected officials in developing new projects in the prescribed areas accepted by the new Executive Office of Housing and Living Communities (EOHLC).
Supposedly, Winthrop would not be harmed by its plan to be submitted to the EOHLC as, with a little sleight of hand, Winthrop would get credit for homes that are planned for construction or under construction. This is a ruse. The real problem is that there is nothing to prohibit the EOHLC from changing its rules. It claims regulatory authority and is now on the fifth version of its guidelines. (It recently arbitrarily changed the rules for the equally egregious Accessory Dwelling Unit Law.) With that authority, there is nothing limiting the EOHLC from changing its guidelines and increasing its demands. So, Winthrop, and the other 176 towns under the EOHLC, can be rezoned at any time to give increased zoning control over to developers.
For Winthrop, that means that if, for example, the EOHLC, rezones Winthrop’s coastal areas, developers could theoretically put apartment buildings along Winthrop’s beaches.
Money: Then there is the question of money. Winthrop may have received an average of $50,000 a year in state grants over the last decade. It is quite possible that Winthrop could do better. But whatever Winthrop may receive, it is unlikely to come anywhere near compensating Winthrop for the millions that the town and its citizens will need to spend to accommodate its new citizens. Our schools are at capacity and it is unlikely to cost the town less than $100 million alone for new school construction.
Living Conditions: Additionally, Winthrop is the most densely-populated town in Massachusetts with only two ways in and out of town for its residents. Congestion is normal and the situation is clearly high risk should there ever be an emergency.
So, NO Senator Edwards, we do not want to sell our rights to developers for a few dollars and then be forced to pick up the cost for the damage. And furthermore, I believe that the Commonwealth, through 3A, makes our citizens’ living conditions worse and puts our already questionable safety at greater risk.
Respectfully,
Carl Eckstein