Healey Administration Applauds Town Meeting's Vote for Mall Road Mixed Use Zoning
The Governor and Secretary of Transportation made mention of a recently-approved zoning change that will allow for live-work-play development in the Mall Road area.

The state's Transportation Secretary, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, took the opportunity to recognize Town Meeting's approval of the Mall Road Mixed Use Rezoning proposal as she and Governor Healey addressed the crowd and the media on Tuesday as a part of their transportation infrastructure funding announcement.
"I also just want to recognize a historic vote taken last night to reinforce Burlington's commitment to housing," said Tibbits-Nutt. The town's Economic Development Director, Melisa Tintocalis, whose office spearheaded the initiative, stood just a few feet away as the multidisciplinary effort was recognized.
Healey elaborated on the importance of adding housing, not just in Burlington but across the Commonwealth. "...At the end of the day," she said, "your kids cannot afford to stay in the state if we don't build more housing. Grandparents can't afford to downsize and stay in Massachusetts near their grandkids because of housing costs."
She went on to say that Burlington has some of the top businesses in the top industries but companies report having a hard time recruiting talent and envisioning a future where they can expand—or even just stay—in Burlington given housing costs.
"We failed to build [housing]" over the last couple of decades, said the Governor, and now the state's municipalities must work hard to reverse the impact of that housing shortage. But, she said, the hard work will reap dividends for the state's residents and businesses "It'll mean greater economic growth for our state and therefore our folks will be better off."
Burlington's new zoning rules will allow for mixed-use development in a portion of the Mall Road area, along with design standards set by the town. The plan was formulated with public input from all sectors to create a reasonable set of guidelines that would establish a sense of place as well as a walkable, more connected area that is less reliant on single-occupancy automobile transportation. Areas that allow for a mix of live-work-play uses are in demand in today's economy, and financial analyses suggest they are more financially sustainable than single-use zones. Tintocalis hopes this will bring higher tax revenues for the town as well as more stability.