David Modica becomes Yimby hero after questioning Marblehead housing plan

5 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8

At a packed Marblehead, Massachusetts, town meeting, his remarks about a golf-course zoning plan drew viral attention as voters approved the proposal by a wide margin.
Critics say the plan lets the affluent Boston suburb nominally comply with a state housing law while making most of 897 potential units dependent on development at Tedesco Country Club.
The episode highlights resistance to pro-housing laws in high-cost states; Massachusetts sued nine communities in January, including Marblehead, over alleged non-compliance.

When a town 'complies' with housing law by rezoning a golf course, has the state's housing crisis actually been addressed?

Can one citizen's viral rant force a wealthy community to build the housing it has long resisted?

One suburb fakes compliance while another regrets building too much. Is there a viable middle ground for America's towns?