Massachusetts Chapter 40B — Comprehensive Permit / Low and Moderate Income Housing Act (MA)
Tracked preemption from the Massachusetts overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1969-08-23
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:MA
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
city.subsidized_housing_inventory_pct<10project.affordable_pct≥25
Preempted fields
6 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].max_height_ft | waive | — | HAC may override local dimensional standards on appeal |
base_districts[*].max_units_per_acre | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].max_far | waive | — | |
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | add | multifamily_residential | |
base_districts[*].min_lot_area_sf | waive | — | |
review_type | override | comprehensive_permit_zba | Single consolidated permit issued by ZBA in lieu of separate zoning / subdivision / special permits |
Citation
Authority source
MGL c. 40B §§20-23
§ §§20-23 (Comprehensive Permit)
Research notes
Triggered when municipality has <10% Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) AND project is ≥25% affordable. Qualifying developers (public agencies, non-profits, or limited-dividend sponsors with state/federal subsidy) may apply to ZBA for a single Comprehensive Permit in lieu of multiple local approvals. ZBA denial or conditions may be appealed to the state Housing Appeals Committee (HAC), which may override local zoning. At ≥10% SHI, municipality is in 'safe harbor' and may deny without HAC appeal exposure. SHI tracked quarterly by EOHLC (formerly DHCD).