Driscoll Speaks on Milton and the MBTA Communities Act

MAY 8, 2025

“Milton is not seeking to carve itself out from being subject to the MBTA Communities Act. In fact, the town has a 10% zoning plan in the works, which would satisfy the requirement that 58 communities designated as Adjacent Communities have.

This is about fairness and consistency. Milton is being subjected to an inaccurate and undeniable misclassification but there is a way forward.”

During debate on Thursday, May 8th, State Senator Bill Driscoll Jr. (D-Milton) took to the floor of the Massachusetts State Senate to speak to how Milton is handled by the MBTA Communities Act. This marked the first time that Senator Driscoll spoke on the floor. He presented a way forward and the case for amending the act relative to Milton’s level of and proximity to MBTA service. 

In a 22-minute speech with visual aids, Driscoll provided clarity to Senate colleagues on several of the key issues and the resolution he is pursuing. Driscoll used this time to go to bat for the Town of Milton, arguing for reclassification of the town’s unique transit modes under the MBTA Communities Act and its regulations. Senator Driscoll conveyed how as one of only 12 communities categorized as “Rapid Transit,” Milton is expected to add an outsized number of zoned units to the required multi-family zoning districts when compared to other municipalities with comparable circumstances and proximity to MBTA service lines.

To support his argument for reclassification, Driscoll compared ridership capacity between the Mattapan High Speed Trolley Line to both the Red and Green Lines, as well as Commuter Rail lines. At 130 passenger capacity on the Mattapan Trolley, the Mattapan High Speed Line vehicles service nearly 6x fewer passengers per trip than the Red Line but is considered the same; and service nearly 8x fewer than a Commuter Rail per trip while being considered a higher tier of service under the regulations implemented for the MBTA Communities Act.

Driscoll saw this as an opportunity to change the narrative on Beacon Hill surrounding much of the rhetoric that has circulated. His goal is to further productive discussion and negotiation to find an appropriate resolution that treats Milton fairly and accurately in the mix of the 177 total MBTA communities required to add new zoning.

His remarks can be viewed on YouTube or via the video embedded below.

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