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Nahant Finance Committee endorses Bass Point overlay to meet state'mandated 3A zoning requirement
Summary
The Nahant Finance Committee voted to endorse the Planning Board's proposed Bass Point multifamily overlay to satisfy Massachusetts'mandated "3A" zoning; the committee asked staff to finalize a concise recommendation for the warrant booklet and will reconvene in person to approve wording before a special town meeting.
The Nahant Finance Committee voted to endorse the Planning Board's proposed multifamily zoning overlay for the Bass Point apartments, a step committee members said is needed to comply with the state'mandated "3A" zoning requirement.
Tim Bell, the committee's liaison to the Planning Board, told members the overlay is intended to create an official multifamily district that meets the state standard without increasing overall density in town. "The state put a gun to our head proverbially saying you have to pass a zoning bylaw," Bell said, summarizing the Planning Board's approach: the overlay would allow up to 85 units with at least 10% designated as affordable housing, or permit rebuilding to 128 units if the owner opts to provide 25% affordable units.
The vote followed questions from several members about concentrating multifamily zoning at Bass Point rather than dispersing potential sites across the town. "I have not been in favor of overlays on any property," committee member Josie Reese said, arguing that confining change to one area could concentrate traffic and other impacts. Reese abstained on the final endorsement vote; the motion passed with the remaining voting members recorded in favor.
Town staff and an attorney-contacting resource present at the meeting said a formal building program is not required to meet 3A: "The 3A that we're directly addressing with this zoning bylaw only requires a zoning change," the speaker noted, clarifying that the town is not obligated to construct housing now, only to create zoning that would permit it.
Allison Netto, the town finance director and interim town administrator, advised the committee she could not say which specific state grants would be lost if Nahant failed to adopt a 3A-compliant bylaw but said many state grants now require 3A compliance when municipalities apply. Committee members discussed examples including Chapter 90 road funds, MVP-related grants for resilience, and various education grants and reimbursements; Netto agreed to compile a short list of grants and recent award amounts for inclusion in the committee's warrant booklet recommendation.
The committee endorsed the Planning Board's multi-page report as an appendix and asked staff to prepare a concise one-page recommendation for the warrant booklet that explains the legal requirement, the Planning Board's rationale for locating the overlay at Bass Point, and the committee's position. Members set a next step to reconvene in person to finalize wording and follow the printing timetable: the printer requires two weeks to assemble the booklet and the town must mail it seven days before the special town meeting, which staff expects to schedule in mid-November.
The Finance Committee suspended the Zoom meeting and voted to reconvene in person on Monday, Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in town hall to complete and approve the final recommendation for publication.
