Local News
“Are we trying to do nothing? Because it seems like we’re doing nothing.”
Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe Staff, File
Marblehead approved new zoning for multifamily housing Monday, seemingly settling its differences with the MBTA Communities Act after years of debate and legal wrangling.
But as some at Town Meeting criticized the zoning plan’s limitations, one Marblehead resident’s wry commentary stole the show.
“Are we trying to do nothing? Because it seems like we’re doing nothing,” the man, who identified himself only as “David,” asked with a nonchalance that drew chuckles from the crowd.
The new zoning is designed to put Marblehead into compliance with Section 3A of the Massachusetts Zoning Act, which was signed into law as the MBTA Communities Act in 2021 and requires towns and cities served by the T to zone for more multifamily housing. After rejecting or overturning previous attempts at compliant zoning, Marblehead faced legal action from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the loss of some state grants.
But Marblehead’s long-awaited multifamily overlay district may not be as transformative as authors of the MBTA Communities Act had in mind; the updated zoning centers largely on the Tedesco Country Club, where a sprawling golf course remains in full swing.
“So they’re not going to build any houses there, because it’s a golf course. You can’t have houses on a golf course,” David, the Marblehead resident, noted in remarks captured by Marblehead Community Access and Media. “So, like, this is a way to comply with 3A without doing any of the 3A stuff?”
“Yes, it is,” a town official replied off-camera. “We tried the other way, and it was rejected.”
“So when we’re preserving, like, the character of Marblehead, it’s like, it’s a bad — we’re selfish. We’re doing a bad thing. Like, we’re not doing any housing,” David continued. “Are we kinda being pricks?”
His remarks made the rounds on social media after Massachusetts-based housing advocate Jonathan Berk posted a video of the exchange on X Monday.
Watch the entire clip below:
Abby Patkin is a general assignment news reporter whose work touches on public transit, crime, health, and everything in between.
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