Testimony: MBTA March Board Meeting
March 27, 2026

On March 26, Amir Wilson testified at the MBTA Board Meeting to affirm support for the North Station Draw One Bridge Replacement Project, to highlight the importance of the MBTA Capital Improvement Plan process, and to flag clarifying questions regarding World Cup preparation. See the full testimony below:

 

Amir Wilson, Transportation Policy & Data Manager, on behalf of A Better City

Chair McGee, Members of the Board, Secretary & General Manager Eng, thank you for the opportunity to deliver comments today.

My name is Amir Wilson, Transportation Policy & Data Manager, delivering testimony on behalf of A Better City. As you may know, A Better City represents a multi-sector group of more than 130 business leaders focused on advancing its vision to create a more vibrant, competitive, sustainable, and equitable city and region for all.

Today, I have a few comments to make. First, to express A Better City’s support for the North Station Draw One Bridge Replacement Project. The replacement of the bridge and signal infrastructure is essential to . . .

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PowerCorps Building Operations Cohort #4 Graduation
March 26, 2026

2026 PowerCorpsBOS graduates and staff

On March 25, a graduation ceremony was held at Roxbury Community College to celebrate 38 graduates from the 2025-2026 PowerCorpsBOS programs, supported by Mayor Wu, graduates family and friends, PowerCorps staff, and partners. This is the largest number of graduates since the program’s inception and the biggest number of women! Of the 38 graduates, 16 graduated from the Building Operations program that A Better City supports. Thank you to BXP, Equity Residential, Related Beal and Trinity Management for partnering with the program to offer internship to hire opportunities from October 2025-March 2026.

All building operations trainees accomplished the following certificates: OSHA 10 Construction Safety & Health Certification, 608 EPA Universal Certificate, BPI-Building Science Principles, BOC-Fundamentals in Energy Efficient Building Operations (FEEBO), UGC-Green Professional Building Skills GPRO, Massachusetts ‘Hot Works’ Certificate, and Ready to Work Certificate for HVAC. In addition, they had hands-on training in basic HVAC&R, control systems, and Building Automation Systems/Building Energy Systems from The Peterson School.

A joyous celebration was had by all – CONGRATULATIONS to the new graduates!

PowerCorpsBOS Building Operations Staff and A Better City Partner

For any questions, please contact Yve Torrie.

 

 

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Event Recap: The Future of Festival Marketplaces: An Evening of Connection & Conversation
March 24, 2026

On Monday March 23, A Better City hosted an evening of connection and conversation with Mayor Michelle Wu and City of Boston leadership, international experts, and local stakeholders to help reimagine the future of the Faneuil Hall Marketplace district. 

Attendees gathered under the historic Quincy Market Rotunda, once covered by a false ceiling, to connect and to enjoy an array of delicious local food from America's first food hall. The speaking program included remarks from Mayor Michelle Wu and Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, followed by a rich panel discussion facilitated by Kate Dineen that showcased the expansive expertise of Planning Chief Kairos Shen and three of the City’s advisors: Maurice Cox, Francine Houben, and James Lima. You can check out event photos here. 

We'd especially like to thank our wonderful hosts at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Jenny Harding and Jessy Haggard, and to Quincy Markets incredible vendors Bakey Babka, Boston Chowda Co, DalMoros Fresh Pasta To Go, and Mona Sweets, for helping us create such a special evening.

We look forward to continuing this important conversation for the future of our downtown, our city, and our . . .

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Policy Update: MBTA Locomotive Procurement and Rail Modernization Plan Updates
March 12, 2026

At the monthly convening of the MBTA Board of Directors on February 26, 2026, MBTA leadership presented key updates on a recent Request for Proposals (RFP) for Regional Rail locomotives issued on February 25, 2026, and shared their intentions to engage local stakeholders for input on the development of a new Rail Modernization Plan to be released in the Summer of 2026. Here’s what to know and how to get involved!

 

Locomotive Procurement Details & What This Means for Service

The MBTA’s February 25 RFP (see slide #7) requests ten (10) battery-electric locomotives, ten (10) “tier-4” diesel locomotives (the most stringent EPA emission standard for diesels), and a contract option to purchase up to 50 additional battery-electric or tier-4 diesel locomotives to be used on the Commuter Rail system. For context, roughly half of its existing fleet, or more than 50 locomotives, will reach end-of-life in the 2030s (see slide #5). With the procurement, the MBTA aims to preempt this fast-approaching locomotive cliff, which, according to Executive Director of Commuter Rail Mike Muller, must be addressed with new locomotives in revenue service by 2033 to maintain the current level of . . .

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MassDOT Releases Special Commission on Micromobility Final Report
February 28, 2026

In April 2025, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the creation of a Special Commission on Micromobility responsible for studying current state and local regulations and developing recommendations to expand micromobility use to help achieve shared goals for increasing mobility options, emission reductions, and economic vitality. Micromobility vehicles include bicycles, scooters, e-bikes, skateboards, uni-wheels, and other small personal travel devices. The commission is a result of Governor Healey’s economic development legislation, the Mass Leads Act. 

The Commission, which formally met five times over the course of several months, was made up of 15 members representing businesses, interest groups, academic institutions, regulatory agencies, and governing bodies from across the Commonwealth, including A Better City TDM Director, Scott Mullen. You can view the complete list of Commission members here.

In late February 2026, MassDOT announced that the Special Commission on Micromobility Final Report had been filed with the Massachusetts Legislature and is now posted online. The report includes the following recommendations:

  • Recommendation 1: Legislative and Regulatory Changes: The legislature should add the necessary legal definitions to Massachusetts General Law and update all existing relevant definitions or remove those that are no longer relevant.

  • Recommendation 2: Speed-Based Classification Schema: The Commission recommends that the legislature adopt a methodology to classify micromobility devices; define requirements for operating a . . .

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Policy Update: MBTA Communities Law Challenges and Opportunities
February 05, 2026

Section 3A of the Zoning Act (M.G.L c. 40A), or more commonly known as the MBTA Communities Act, was signed into law on January 14, 2021. It requires that the 177 identified towns and cities served by the MBTA must permit the construction of multi-family housing within a half-mile of transit stations at a minimum density of 15 units per acre. As of February 2026, roughly 93% of designated communities are compliant with the law.

In late January 2026, a few key updates related to the MBTA Communities Law hit the press, including a briefing from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office announcing it will sue nine communities still non-compliant with the Law, a report release by The Boston Foundation’s Boston Indicators analyzing the transit-oriented development pipeline, and a Boston Globe Editorial contemplating progress to date. Here are the key things to know:

 

How many communities are non-compliant?

As of February 2026, 165 out of 177 total Massachusetts communities within the MBTA service area are compliant with the MBTA Communities Law. Of the twelve non-compliant communities, Freetown is set to vote on a plan in early February, while Carver and Rehoboth have until December 31, 2026, to approve compliant zoning plans. Meanwhile, on January 30, 2026, the Attorney General’s Office held a public webinar to discuss a commitment to pursue legal action against the other nine non-compliant communities: Dracut, East Bridgewater, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop. After losing a legal challenge, Milton approved a new zoning plan at a Special Town Meeting on June 17, 2025, and is now in compliance.

 

What action has the Attorney General taken to ensure compliance?

On January 29, 2026, the Attorney General’s Office announced plans to pursue a Declaratory Judgement and Court Order, mandating that all nine non-compliant communities take action to fully comply with the MBTA Communities Law. After the Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court upheld that municipalities subject to the MBTA Communities Law must comply with its stipulations following a suit brought by the Town of Milton (which later fell into line and moved to adopt new plans), the Attorney General’s Office is confident that the Court will continue to support the MBTA Communities Law, and that the added pressure will encourage the non-compliant communities to take action toward developing and adopting compliant zoning plans. As of now, the Attorney General’s Office awaits an official court date. In addition to granting the Attorney General’s requests, the Court may order further relief to force the towns to comply if it continues to uphold the MBTA Communities Law.

 

How is the law performing in terms of catalyzing new housing development?

On January 30, 2026, The Boston Foundation hosted a webinar to present the findings in its recent report assessing the development pipeline in areas zoned for the MBTA Communities Law. According to Senior Research Fellow and report author Amy Dain, development progress is “real but modest.” While 82 of the 177 MBTA Communities have no developable station area, and therefore no capacity for new transit-oriented housing units, there are 102 projects currently in the pipeline, accounting for roughly 7,000 units across 34 communities. Most of these project developments would not be in the pipeline without the encouragement and enforcement of the MBTA Communities Law. Most of these projects are in the permitting phase, therefore it is uncertain whether any given project will acquire financing, pass all code reviews, and enter the construction phase. Dain classified all MBTA municipalities into three major categories based on their level of response to the Law: Municipalities that follow the basic ask and contribute to incremental growth, municipalities that “go above-and-beyond” the requirements, and those that avoid growth through “paper compliance.” While most of the compliant communities are contributing to incremental growth, she found that Lexington, Westford, and Lowell have gone above and beyond based on the number of units in each town’s development pipeline. Further research needs to be done to determine which zoning schemes are truly “paper compliant.”

 

News & Resources

 

Please reach out to Amir Wilson with questions or . . .

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Event Recap: Built to Lead: Lessons in Building Deconstruction and Embodied Carbon
February 03, 2026

On Tuesday, February 3, A Better City convened a fourth packed panel in the "Built to Lead: Lessons in Building Decarbonization and Resilience" series, a showcase of the climate leadership of A Better City member companies and institutions. This panel event focused on deconstruction and embodied carbon.

We explored a wide variety of projects and their circularity strategies at SFO and PDX leading to significant cost savings and waste reduction. Next, we looked at BU case studies in renovation and construction and their impacts on embodied carbon, focusing on the Warren Towers dorms. This was followed by examples of tenant fit outs in office spaces, and lessons in what equipment and materials can and can’t be easily reused. Lastly, we heard from Bost Building Resources, a reuse center in Boston which sells reusable materials to the public and provides deconstruction services, and heard about the most commonly reused items, and the challenges and opportunities to scaling this work. Thank you to our panelists for sharing their time and expertise:

  • Irmak Turan, Associate, Climate and Sustainability, Arup—Circularity and embodied carbon at airports

  • Dennis Carlberg, Chief Sustainability Officer & Associate Vice President for Climate Action, Boston University—Retrofit of BU’s Warren Towers

  • Caroline Murray, Regional Sustainability Manager, Turner Construction Company—Deconstruction and reuse of office space

  • Andrew Thompson, Interim . . .

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Governor Healey’s State Budget Proposal Key Takeaways
February 02, 2026

On January 28, 2026, Governor Healey released her Administration’s budget recommendations for fiscal year 2027, which begins July 1. Referred to as “House 2,” the proposal includes funding levels for state programs, changes to certain state laws, and aid to quasi-public agencies like the MBTA. House 2 is the first step in the State House budgetary process. In terms of next steps, the House is expected to issue their budget proposal in April, followed by the Senate in May—a conference committee will then be established in June to negotiate the final legislative plan that will be sent back to the Governor in early summer.

Overall, Governor Healey’s plan represents a 3.8% increase over the current budget, and prioritizes state funding for education programs, safety-net assistance, state health insurance, and grants for workforce development. There are no proposals to increase taxes or fees, and it recommends spending more of the Fair Share surtax revenue to cover annual state operating budget needs. As a reminder, the Fair Share surtax revenue can only be used on either transportation or education programs.

The Governor proposes spending $3.8 billion of Fair Share surtax revenue, with approximately 46% going to transportation and 54% going to education. For education, the surtax money continues to support free school breakfast and lunches for all K-12 students, free community college, expanded early education programs, and over $500 million in local aid to municipalities to support general education costs. A Better City continues to urge State House leaders to deliver a 50-50 split of this money, but we recognize the challenging fiscal climate the state is facing this year. Overall, the Governor’s proposed approach . . .

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Event Recap: Stretch and Specialized Stretch Codes Virtual Focus Group
January 26, 2026

On January 22, A Better City convened a Virtual Focus Group: Stretch and Specialized Stretch Codes with leaders from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) seeking input about user experience navigating the stretch and specialized stretch codes.

DOER's Ian Finlayson and Paul Ormond delivered a brief framing presentation about the updated stretch and specialized stretch codes that included the basics of the state thermal code, MEPA results, Mass Save incentives, and key stakeholder input since the codes implementation. After the presentation, focus group participants flagged an array of concerns—from the reported 4%-5% premium to comply with the specialized stretch code in the urban context, to the technical limitations associated with hot water, to more macro concerns like grid capacity, interconnection delays, and the risk of capital leaving the region if construction starts do not materialize. 

In terms of next steps, DOER is expected to open a formal public comment period in the coming weeks. Key topics for public comment will likely include district energy systems, HERS ratings for Accessory Dwelling Units, air leakage in renovations, and modified TEDI limits for small buildings.

Additionally, A Better City will continue to partner with peer organizations to emphasize the imperative to address the more macro concerns at both the city and state level. 

Please let Yve Torrie know if you have any questions or additional feedbackMORE

I-90 Allston Multimodal Project Update
January 14, 2026

A Better City remains committed to advancing the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project, which is a once-in-a-generation chance to replace a structurally deficient elevated highway with safer transportation connections and expanded access to the Charles River for Allston residents. The project also includes a new multimodal transportation hub at West Station that will improve transit connections for commuters throughout the region and support future development in nearby Beacon Park Yard.
 
The enactment of the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" in July eliminated billions of dollars in unobligated funding for the federal Reconnecting Communities grant program—including all but $8 million of a $335 million grant for the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. The rescinded federal grant represented approximately 17% . . .

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