<div dir="auto">Thanks! So, we can assume a court battle under Chapter 40 Section 3 for religious entities building zoning exempt housing on Church properties. The linked paper, below, suggests the Religious Land Uses and Institionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) could provide enough of an argument. Since RLUIPA and the Dover Amendment dovetail nicely, maybe a case can be made for these type of projects. <div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto"><a href="https://www.yalelawjournal.org/feature/churching-nimbys" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">https://www.yalelawjournal.org/feature/churching-nimbys</a><br></div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Maybe we should be promoting the Yes In God's Backyard slogan to get housing built. The Yale Law Journal article is from February 2024, so fairly new thinking. It looks like the test is that the Church firmly believes that providing shelter, whether short-term (homeless shelter) or longer term (senior housing, affordable housing, mixed income housing) is a part of their religious mission, then it would fit the RLUIPA test and probably Dover Amendment.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Daniel Fortier, AICP Retired Planner </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, Apr 10, 2024, 7:27 AM Hurley, Margaret (AGO) via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">FYI this may help (from an MMLA colleague)
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Best,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Margaret <u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt">From:</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">massplanners-bounces@masscptc.org</a>>
<b>On Behalf Of </b>Town Planner via MassPlanners<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Tuesday, April 9, 2024 10:00 AM<br>
<b>To:</b> <a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank">massplanners@masscptc.org</a><br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Massplanners] Zoning and housing units on Church Properties<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">CAUTION: This email originated from a sender outside of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts mail system. Do not click on links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know
the content is safe. </span><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Good morning All,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Applauding all who are working on solutions to our housing crisis!<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Do we know (is there case law or local legal opinions) whether housing (temporary or permanent) is a Dover protected use if on Church/Synagogue property? With many religious institutions stepping up to
house those in need, the question comes up regarding the level of permitting or oversight that Zoning allows. Appreciative of any feedback, experiences etc.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Best,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"> <u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Segoe Script"">Sue Brown</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt">, RLA<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Town Planner<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">West Newbury<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:townplanner@wnewbury.org" rel="noreferrer noreferrer" target="_blank"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">townplanner@wnewbury.org</span></a><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">(978) 363-1100 x125<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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