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The Senate unanimously passed its version of a major economic development bill (S.2842) Wednesday night after adding measures dealing with zoning reform, offshore wind development, nondisclosure agreements and other topics over the course of more than nine hours.

The initial version of the bill did not include the language of Gov. Charlie Baker’s long-sought zoning reform, called the Housing Choices bill, which would reduce the threshold for local boards to OK most housing-related zoning changes needed to increase construction of multifamily housing from two-thirds to a simple majority. However, the Senate approved an amendment from Housing Committee Co-Chair Brendan Crighton which included the bill’s language.

Crighton’s amendment also included several provisions not in Baker’s bill:

• Requirements that any plaintiff appealing a special permit, variance or site plan post a surety or cash bond up to $50,000 to cover any costs to the developer resulting from the delays.
• A goal of producing 427,000 new housing units by 2040, 85,400 of which would be affordable to households earning 80 percent or less of area median income and 8,500 of which would be affordable to households earning 30 percent or less of area median income. The state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development would have to produce an annual report on progress towards that goal.
• The establishment of a commission to advise OEHED on how to achieve the goals, including representatives from MassDOT, municipalities, regional planners, universities and community development corporations, among others.

“Our housing crisis wasn’t created overnight and won’t be solved by one bill. But this amendment is a significant step toward solving the crisis,” Crighton told the Senate when introducing his bill.

Another of Crighton’s amendments which would guarantee a tenant’s right of first refusal if their landlord decided to sell their apartment building, was rejected, along with another that would have created a committee to study racial segregation in housing.

The larger economic development bill to which the Housing Choices language was attached now goes to a conference committee where a small group of legislators from the House – which passed its own version earlier this week that included tenant right to purchase provisions – and the Senate will negotiate a compromise bill for both chambers to vote on and send to Baker for his signature.

The chambers face a Friday deadline to vote on major legislation, but the House has already voted to extend for much of the rest of the year. The House and Senate are both back in session Thursday afternoon, with senators planning to privately discuss the extension order prior to their session

State House News Service contributed to this report.