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Summary of Question 2
This proposed law would repeal an existing state law that allows a qualified organization wishing to build government-subsidized housing that includes low- or moderate-income units to apply for a single comprehensive permit from a city or town's zoning board of appeals (ZBA), instead of separate permits from each local agency or official having jurisdiction over any aspect of the proposed housing. The repeal would take effect on January 1, 2011, but would not stop or otherwise affect any proposed housing that had already received both a comprehensive permit and a building permit for at least one unit. Under the existing law, the ZBA holds a public hearing on the application and considers the recommendations of local agencies and officials. The ZBA may grant a comprehensive permit that may include conditions or requirements concerning the height, site plan, size, shape, or building materials of the housing. Persons aggrieved by the ZBA's decision to grant a permit may appeal it to a court. If the ZBA denies the permit or grants it with conditions or requirements that make the housing uneconomic to build or to operate, the applicant may appeal to the state Housing Appeals Committee (HAC). After a hearing, if the HAC rules that the ZBA's denial of a comprehensive permit was unreasonable and not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to issue the permit. If the HAC rules that the ZBA's decision issuing a comprehensive permit with conditions or requirements made the housing uneconomic to build or operate and was not consistent with local needs, the HAC orders the ZBA to modify or remove any such condition or requirement so as to make the proposal no longer uneconomic. The HAC cannot order the ZBA to issue any permit that would allow the housing to fall below minimum safety standards or site plan requirements. If the HAC rules that the ZBA's action was consistent with local needs, the HAC must uphold it even if it made the housing uneconomic. The HAC's decision is subject to review in the courts. A condition or requirement makes housing "uneconomic" if it would prevent a public agency or non-profit organization from building or operating the housing except at a financial loss, or it would prevent a limited dividend organization from building or operating the housing without a reasonable return on its investment. A ZBA's decision is "consistent with local needs" if it applies requirements that are reasonable in view of the regional need for low- and moderate-income housing and the number of low-income persons in the city or town, as well as the need to protect health and safety, promote better site and building design, and preserve open space, if those requirements are applied as equally as possible to both subsidized and unsubsidized housing. Requirements are considered "consistent with local needs" if more than 10% of the city or town's housing units are low- or moderate-income units or if such units are on sites making up at least 1.5% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town. Requirements are also considered "consistent with local needs" if the application would result, in any one calendar year, in beginning construction of low- or moderate-income housing on sites making up more than 0.3% of the total private land zoned for residential, commercial, or industrial use in the city or town, or on ten acres, whichever is larger. The proposed law states that if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect.

2010 - Worcester County - Question 2Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 4, 2010?

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Worcester County Results
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City/Town Ward Pct Blanks Total Votes Cast
Totals
111,009
145,722
17,618 274,349
Ashburnham
 
1,108
1,278
137
2,523
Athol More »
 
1,248
2,024
158
3,430
Auburn More »
 
2,488
3,866
375
6,729
Barre More »
 
744
1,205
99
2,048
Berlin
 
743
647
36
1,426
Blackstone More »
 
1,615
1,427
259
3,301
Bolton
 
1,320
949
96
2,365
Boylston
 
942
1,138
101
2,181
Brookfield
 
578
669
58
1,305
Charlton More »
 
1,980
2,574
231
4,785
Clinton More »
 
1,831
2,660
280
4,771
Douglas More »
 
1,510
1,571
224
3,305
Dudley More »
 
1,546
2,026
173
3,745
E. Brookfield
 
415
468
32
915
Fitchburg More »
 
3,653
5,808
646
10,107
Gardner More »
 
2,415
3,440
367
6,222
Grafton More »
 
2,989
3,358
342
6,689
Hardwick
 
449
499
66
1,014
Harvard
 
1,570
1,177
131
2,878
Holden More »
 
3,532
4,681
421
8,634
Hopedale
 
1,148
1,268
156
2,572
Hubbardston
 
928
1,042
87
2,057
Lancaster More »
 
1,317
1,486
129
2,932
Leicester More »
 
1,814
2,244
184
4,242
Leominster More »
 
5,222
7,305
858
13,385
Lunenburg More »
 
2,245
2,032
246
4,523
Mendon
 
1,378
1,036
120
2,534
Milford More »
 
4,044
4,239
762
9,045
Millbury More »
 
2,017
2,703
345
5,065
Millville
 
522
534
98
1,154
New Braintree
 
181
229
39
449
N. Brookfield
 
735
1,056
103
1,894
Northborough More »
 
2,576
3,706
349
6,631
Northbridge More »
 
2,385
2,743
422
5,550
Oakham
 
413
492
34
939
Oxford More »
 
1,920
2,661
273
4,854
Paxton
 
879
1,036
125
2,040
Petersham
 
293
363
44
700
Phillipston
 
310
377
28
715
Princeton
 
798
978
110
1,886
Royalston More »
 
220
278
27
525
Rutland More »
 
1,474
1,824
159
3,457
Shrewsbury More »
 
5,331
7,686
1,042
14,059
Southborough More »
 
2,126
2,194
214
4,534
Southbridge More »
 
1,599
2,546
329
4,474
Spencer More »
 
1,720
2,216
231
4,167
Sterling More »
 
1,738
1,904
189
3,831
Sturbridge More »
 
1,546
2,179
189
3,914
Sutton More »
 
1,971
2,101
276
4,348
Templeton More »
 
1,268
1,498
102
2,868
Upton
 
1,535
1,546
187
3,268
Uxbridge More »
 
2,430
2,563
466
5,459
Warren More »
 
613
934
126
1,673
Webster More »
 
1,941
2,665
324
4,930
W. Boylston More »
 
1,575
1,533
146
3,254
W. Brookfield
 
599
858
70
1,527
Westborough More »
 
2,631
3,771
427
6,829
Westminster More »
 
1,735
1,458
154
3,347
Winchendon More »
 
1,243
1,631
146
3,020
Worcester More »
 
13,913
25,342
4,069
43,324
County Totals
111,009
145,722
17,618 274,349