To my friends, neighbors, and fellow residents,
While I remain optimistic about our town’s future, the MBTA Communities Act has put us in a position none of us wanted. Reality is not always sunshine and rainbows, and this situation is no exception. I’ve sat down, reviewed the facts, and looked 5, 10, 15 years down the line with this single decision in mind.
I understand why so many of us are frustrated. That said, I am asking you to join me at Special Town Meeting on Saturday, November 21, and vote YES to adopt the paper compliance plan. The paper compliance plan is a locally designed set of overlay districts that brings Wilmington into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act. By voting yes, we preserve local control over where that zoning capacity goes, concentrating it on a limited set of parcels, most of which are unlikely to be redeveloped or are already developed.
I have opposed this law from the beginning, and still do. In 2021, on Beacon Hill, this law was added very late to unrelated economic development legislation, with little respect for local decision-making. I supported Wilmington’s efforts to challenge it, and I do not regret my earlier “no” votes or that advocacy.
Our town, along with several other communities, held strong and fought hard. Unfortunately, we lost, but it’s time to move on. The legal landscape has changed dramatically over the last 18 months. The Attorney General’s position and the Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling have made clear that failing to adopt paper compliance at town meeting has significant, long-term consequences for our town. Some neighbors feel we should keep fighting, and I understand that instinct, but the Supreme Judicial Court has ruled, and there is no remaining legal path that stops enforcement.
The Attorney General has made her instructions clear to our town’s administration: a NO vote will result in the state appointing a Special Master, who will require Wilmington to zone for at least 1,400 buildable units. A “no” vote may feel like continued opposition to the law, but it does not make the law disappear. Voting yes and adopting the paper compliance plan means Wilmington’s own voters decide which parcels and districts are zoned and what the local rules look like. If we vote no, those decisions will go to the Special Master. That is why, as unwelcome as this choice is, adopting the plan is the lesser of the two evils: it keeps the decisions local, and the parcels it relies on are largely unlikely to be developed or are existing buildings whose units already count toward our paper compliance requirement.
It’s easy to let frustration drive a decision like this. Few of us want to be in this position, but at this time, our town requires pragmatic leadership rooted in fact. Let’s cut our losses, preserve local control, vote YES, and move toward building our tomorrow, together.
Respectfully yours,
Joe Maselli
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