Lakeville must develop an action plan to ensure that multi-family housing can be located in close proximity to the future MBTA station in Middleboro, Town Planner Marc Resnick said.

The town must submit that plan to the state by Jan. 31, 2023 to show how the town would be able to accommodate 231 units of multi-family, high-density housing within a half mile of the future Middleboro station on the other side of Route 495 and near West Clark St.

This law does not require that the housing necessarily be built, but a plan must be in place that would allow it, Resnick said. “They’re looking for cities and towns to create the opportunity for new housing,’’ Resnick said.

This law was developed to ensure that a significant number of people have access to public transportation. 

Lakeville would need to make a zoning change to allow this to happen, Resnick said.

Under the new MBTA regulations, Lakeville would be considered “an adjacent small town’’ to the Middleboro location. 

Although Lakeville is now home to a commuter rail station, this will change when the MBTA connects Middleboro to the commuter rail in Taunton and New Bedford as part of the South Coast Rail project currently under construction. 

The Lakeville transportation site will no longer be part of the commuter rail system but may house Cape Flyer trains. The town has not received confirmation that these trains, which run only in the summer, will be based in Lakeville. 

Lakeville is already home to some high-density, multi-family housing, Resnick said, but these are not located within a mile of the Middleboro location, which the law requires. 

The town must submit an application to demonstrate compliance through the adoption of new zoning measures by Dec. 31, 2025. This application will decide whether Lakeville is compliant with the zoning law.

The new law would promote “transit-oriented” housing that puts people closer to the places they go daily, according to the project website.