Dover Finance Committee Backs MBTA Zoning Compliance Before September Town Meeting

DOVER — July 23, 2025 — Dover's Finance Committee, meeting as the warrant committee, rallied behind the town's MBTA Communities Act compliance plan and set a late-August vote on recommending the zoning bylaw to residents. Select Board member Robin briefed the committee on the financial exposure facing Dover if the September 29 special town meeting fails to pass the article, citing an average annual grant risk of roughly $1 million and a specific $15 million state grant for the Long Center Street bridge project. The compliance plan designates County Court, a condominium complex off Route 109, as the town's MBTA overlay district — a site selected through a community survey and approved by the Commonwealth. Robin stressed the measure is a zoning requirement only, not a building mandate, and bears no resemblance to Chapter 40B affordable housing law, noting that Milton has lost all its grants and spent close to $1 million in legal fees fighting the requirement. The committee will attend a Planning Board informational Zoom session on August 18 before casting its formal recommendation vote, and a quorum of 175 residents is required for the special town meeting to proceed.