The law essentially states that a project with at least a 25%affordable housing component that is being developed in a town orcity with less than 10% affordable housing can bypass local zoninglaws to get their project permitted. But many municipalitiescontend that the law, which was designed to increase thedevelopment of affordable housing units outside of major urbanareas, is being used by developers to ram their projects throughlocal governments.

A number of weeks ago, the town of Norton sent out a letter toevery town in the state asking for support to petition the statelegislature for a five year moratorium on chapter 40B projects."The board of selectmen said we had it and we're not going to takeit anymore," Charles Gabriel, Norton's town planner tellsGlobeSt.com. What precipitated the letter was a 60-unit chapter 40Bproject, called Strawberry Fields, that came before the town'szoning board of appeals. The town felt powerless in the face of thecomprehensive permit, which is granted to 40B projects.

"Throughout the state there is a groundswell of towns objectingto 40B," notes Gabriel. "Now it's reaching its crescendo."