West Bridgewater Town Meeting Approves MBTA Zoning Overlay, 107 to 71

WEST BRIDGEWATER — October 20, 2025 — West Bridgewater town meeting backs MBTA multifamily zoning overlay, 107 to 71, to beat state deadline. Voters at the October 20 Special Town Meeting approved a new 7.7-acre, seven-parcel overlay district on North Main Street that would allow multifamily housing by right, satisfying the MBTA Communities Act compliance requirement due December 31, 2025. Town Planner Tracy Aldrich said the law requires the town to zone for 145 units but does not mandate construction, and that wetlands jurisdiction covering more than half the site, Title V septic requirements, and a 25% open space rule make full buildout of the bylaw's 150-unit cap "nearly impossible." Select Board member David Gagney warned that more than $700,000 in grants had already been lost and $403,000 more were at risk, and noted every community that fought the law in court has lost, including Milton, which spent $325,000 in legal fees. The meeting also unanimously approved a $9,935 transfer within the existing FY26 Fire Department budget to pay a late-arriving vendor invoice for EMS equipment.