Mass. attorney general says office will go to court to enforce MBTA Communities Act

Attorney General Andrea Campbell told attendees at the Somerville event that her office prefers to work collaboratively with municipalities but will not hesitate to enforce the MBTA Communities Act when communities fail to comply. "Next week, my office will be in court to enforce this critical law," Campbell said.

Campbell noted broad legal backing for enforcement: "Yesterday, my office announced 70 organizations... filed friend of the court briefs supporting our efforts to enforce this law," she said, describing a coalition of former attorneys general, unions, business leaders and housing advocates backing the state’s approach.

At the same time, Campbell said the attorney general's office and related divisions will help municipalities implement the law through technical assistance and legal review. She described the Municipal Law Unit's daily work reviewing zoning bylaws for legal compliance and said the office uses civil remedies, including receivership powers in some cases, to bring new affordable housing into existence when necessary.

Campbell emphasized a preference for cooperation but framed enforcement as a lawful duty when local governments do not comply. "We'd much rather work with the community than sue them," she said. "But when a choice is made to break the law, we have an obligation, and my office... will not be afraid to respond by meeting our obligation to enforce it." The AG said the office’s housing-affordability unit and other divisions will remain available as local partners during implementation.

Campbell's remarks followed state leaders’ announcements about a new Catalyst Fund and technical-assistance dollars; she said the enforcement work complements those incentives by ensuring the law’s mandatory requirements are met.