Beacon Hill, Boston

Agawam's City Council voted 10-1 to oppose provisions in Massachusetts' pending economic development bill that would let duplexes be built by right in all residential zones and multifamily housing by right on land owned by religious institutions. The resolution, backed by Mayor Christopher C. Johnson, argues zoning decisions should remain local rather than be set by state lawmakers on Beacon Hill.

The lone dissenting vote came from Councilor Thomas D. Hendrickson, who cited long waitlists for units managed by the Agawam Housing Authority as evidence that restrictive local zoning is worsening the region's housing shortage. Other councilors who supported the resolution acknowledged an affordability crisis but said denser zoning wouldn't necessarily lower costs, pointing to high construction costs and concerns about strain on local services and property values.

A legislative conference committee is currently reconciling House and Senate versions of the bill, which differ on whether to include duplex zoning, multifamily-on-religious-land provisions, both, or neither. Advocacy group Abundant Housing Massachusetts has pushed for both measures as part of efforts to close the state's housing gap.