After months of campaigning, a heated debate over a state-mandated plan that would have made it easier to build multifamily housing in parts of Needham came to a head Tuesday when voters soundly rejected the new zoning.

This means the town will continue to be out of compliance with the MBTA Communities Act and could miss out on state funding opportunities.

Needham voters have soundly rejected new zoning meant to allow more housing development, just a week after the Supreme Judicial Court upheld a law requiring them to do so. The zoning would have gone well above Needham’s responsibilities under the MBTA Communities Act,

Voters in Needham Tuesday soundly rejected a plan that would have paved the way for the production of more multifamily housing in this suburban town of 32,000 and aligned it with a much-debated state housing law.

Citizens in Needham voted to reject a referendum to build multifamily housing near its MBTA Commuter Rail station.Needham will need to<a class="excerpt-read-more" href=" More