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Towns say they will return to town meeting in January to seek MBTA‑compliance zoning changes
Summary
Lakeville and Freetown officials said they are working with consultants to revise zoning to meet MBTA Communities requirements and are targeting a special town meeting on Jan. 26, 2026. The towns hope to preserve grant eligibility while the state monitors progress.
Town officials reported at a Nov. 3 joint meeting that both communities are working with consultants to revise local zoning to comply with the MBTA Communities law and that they plan to place zoning articles before town meeting in January.
Deb, the town administrator who spoke for Freetown, said the town is preparing zoning-language revisions with outside consultants and intends to bring an article to a Jan. 26 special town meeting. "We're currently working on a revision to try to meet compliance," she said, adding that the state has been in contact and asked whether the towns will bring the matter to town meeting.
Officials stressed they were seeking to avoid grant clawbacks and hoped that the January town meeting would give them another opportunity to pass zoning that would demonstrate a good‑faith effort. The MBTA‑related zoning proposal is structured so it will be decided by a majority vote rather than the two‑thirds requirement that applies to some other zoning changes.
Town administrators said they had asked for additional time to prepare materials, and they encouraged residents to attend informational sessions the towns will schedule. No zoning language was voted at the Nov. 3 meeting; town officials said they would continue outreach and planning in the coming weeks.
