Marshfield Planning Board Votes Against MBTA Overlay Repeal Ahead of Town Meeting

MARSHFIELD -- April 6, 2026, Marshfield Planning Board unanimously opposes Select Board's push to repeal the MBTA Communities overlay district. Meeting April 6, the four-member board voted 4-0 to recommend that the April 27 Annual Town Meeting reject Articles 37 and 38, which the Select Board placed on the warrant to eliminate the multifamily overlay district adopted last fall after two prior Town Meeting defeats. Select Board member Steve argued the town should await a pending Supreme Judicial Court ruling, noting the board had already structured a prior motion so that a court win would void the district automatically: "I feel like right now we have the best of both worlds, where we have access to that state money that we desperately need while we're continuing our fight in court." Weathervane Lane resident Martine Anderson put specific numbers on the grant exposure, $240,000 annually for the DPW, $42,000 for police, and $27,000 for fire and EMT. Town Planner Karen Horn added that even a two-thirds Town Meeting vote to repeal would likely be blocked by the Attorney General's office as inconsistent with state law. The board also advanced four separate zoning articles to Town Meeting by 4-0 votes and released a $48,586.92 subdivision surety for White Oak Farm Estates.