MARION — A discussion of how to change or fix Marion’s affordable housing ended not with a solution, but with a desire for a single discussion involving multiple boards.

Massachusetts mandates that every town have ten percent of its housing be affordable. With 156 affordable units as of 2017 (the last time data was taken), Marion has 7.75% of its housing as affordable.

A proposed 96 unit housing development would put the town at about 12.5% affordable housing, allowing it to join the 75 communities that had fulfilled the state requirement in 2017.

Town Planner Gil Hilario had done some research on affordable housing after a Dec. 16 meeting where the issue came up. For the board’s Jan. 6 meeting, he found that the Marion’s maximum allowable density of 12 units per acre was so high that many developers weren’t taking advantage of the towns bylaw.

Hilario also compiled a list of towns that had or did not have bylaws and how much affordable housing they had. Planning Board member Chris Collings observed that the 80 towns with bylaws did not always have higher housing percentages.

The board also discussed whether the town should still have a bylaw if it reaches 12.5% affordable housing.

“I think it shouldn’t be required, but would be an option, with a density bonus,” Hilario said.

Marion’s population will eventually increase, but Planning Board members calculated that it would take roughly 470 homes to increase the population enough that the town would have to surpass the 10% requirement again. Some board members questioned if there was enough land or sewage capacity for the town to get to that point.

Marion resident and developer Sherman Briggs, who brought up the issue in December, said he had calculated that combined, affordable and market-rate units brought the town about $1,000 in tax revenue, where market rate houses brought in much more. Briggs said that he hated to see the town lose money.

Planning Board member Norm Hills reminded his fellow board members that the town has not surpassed the housing requirement yet, and said he set up a session between the planning group, Selectmen and the Affordable Housing Trust to discuss the issue.