Marblehead officials say they expect feedback in early January 2026 on the Town’s proposed zoning districts for compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, the state law requiring communities served by or adjacent to the MBTA to adopt multifamily zoning.
The Town has submitted parcel maps to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), which is reviewing two proposed subdistricts: a three-parcel “Tedesco district” and the previously approved, and later overturned, Broughton Road district.
“Our department submitted the plan,” Town Planner Alex Eitler said. “EOHLC currently has, and is reviewing, the parcel information and the zoning parameters… They have a deadline to get us back that information on Jan. 8, (2026).”
The map covers all of the land within Marblehead of the Tedesco Country Club, as well as the nearby “Glover” 40R smart-growth district on the border of Swampscott.
Eitler said the early review is critical because Marblehead holds only one Town Meeting each year.
“If we can give them 75% of the information now, then all they have to do is look at the zoning text,” he said, adding that state officials conduct both a legal review and a technical feasibility review to determine whether the parcels meet 3A standards.
While the state reviews the maps, local officials are refining the zoning language, including design standards and dimensional requirements. Eitler said the goal is to make the district “more palatable” and responsive to concerns raised at last year’s Town Meeting.
During the meeting, residents asked why the Coffin School property was not included as part of the 3A district. Eitler said the timing and location made it unsuitable.
“That’s dead center in the middle of a single-family area,” he said, calling it “distinctly different” from commercially mixed areas elsewhere in town.
Community Development and Planning Director Brendan Callahan emphasized that the Coffin School reuse process is separate, and any housing built there “isn’t part of the 3A district… but affordable units created would go toward our 10%.”
Officials said they will release the full proposal once the state provides its preliminary ruling. When asked whether the parcels will qualify, Eitler said, “We don’t know, and that’s why we’re submitting it. That’s the whole purpose of that.”
