In response to Massachusetts’ housing affordability crisis, the state legislature implemented a law requiring communities to create zones for multi-family housing. The rules apply predominantly to towns served by the MBTA and were broadly expanded to include adjacent towns.

Hopkinton must formulate a plan to zone areas summing to 50 acres and 750 multi-family units, or face potentially severe penalties including loss of state funding and potential lawsuits.

The Zoning Advisory Committee has created a draft map of the new MBTA zones, but what is unknown is the effect multi-family housing will have on an already stressed school system.