On the evening of May 2, 2023, Article 22 was successfully passed at the Annual Town Meeting in Millbury, Massachusetts, imposing a Temporary Moratorium on Multi-Family Dwelling Units. Article 22 received a two-thirds majority vote of approval, which was announced by the town moderator. The announcement was followed by a sudden eruption of applause from many voters. The town moderator and others present estimated that the vote in favor was at least 80% or more. The next phase involves a review by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office to ensure conformity with state law. If the decision is upheld, which we fully expect it to be, the moratorium will apply retroactively from May 2, 2023. The temporary moratorium will remain in effect for approximately 18 months, starting from May 2, 2023, until after November 17, 2024.

We would like to express our gratitude to all the registered Millbury voters who participated in the Annual Town Meeting and supported Article 22. The outcome reflects our collective strength and ability to achieve positive outcomes for our community as a whole.

The enacted moratorium reads as follows:

Section 53. Temporary Moratorium on Multi-Family Dwelling Units

53.1 Purpose. In recent years, the preponderance, rate and volume of multi-family permitting and construction in the Town of Millbury have proceeded at levels that substantially vary from the community’s prior experience. These changes to local development patterns may potentially have an adverse or unanticipated effect on community character and existing neighborhoods. While the Town of Millbury Zoning Bylaws does not contain sections which specifically address the creation of multi-family dwellings, there is a community need to establish thoughtful criteria for consideration and approval of multi-family dwelling units within neighborhood context and within downtown Millbury. In order for the Town to undertake comprehensive planning to formulate and adopt a temporary moratorium on the consideration and approval of multi-family proposals under the Zoning Bylaws.

53.2 Definitions. For the purposes of this section, “Multi-Family Dwelling” shall be defined as “a building with 3 or more dwelling units or 2 or more buildings on the same lot with more than 1 residential dwelling unit in each building.”

53.3 Moratorium. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Zoning Bylaw to the contrary, no special permit or site plan review approval for multi-family housing, may be issued until after November 17, 2024. The purpose of this temporary moratorium is to allow sufficient time to engage in a planning process to address the effects of such structures and uses in the Town and to enact bylaws in a manner consistent with sound land use planning goals and objectives.