DESPITE STERN WARNINGS from state officials, Milton voters on Wednesday rejected a zoning plan that had been developed by the municipality and approved at Town Meeting to comply with the pro-housing zoning requirements of the MBTA Communities law.

According to unofficial results posted by the town clerk shortly after 10 p.m., the vote was 5,115 to 4,356 – or 54-46 percent — to reject the zoning plan. Turnout overall was very high, at nearly 45 percent. The “yes” forces won six precincts and the “no” forces won five, but the margins of victory in the “no” precincts were much greater.

The “no” precincts were concentrated in the eastern part of Milton, where sentiment against the zoning plan was the strongest because residents there feared they would be burdened with too much additional housing. In precinct 7, the section of town east of the Southeast Expressway, the vote was 892-201 against the zoning plan.

The vote gives Milton the distinction of being the first community in Massachusetts to thumb its nose at the state law, which was designed to prod communities to approve zoning changes that could pave the way for more housing production. It’s unclear whether the Milton vote will embolden other communities to follow suit or whether the resistance will end with Milton.

The no vote also means Milton is likely to lose access to certain state grants and could face a court challenge.

Shortly after the vote totals were announced, Ed Augustus the state secretary of housing and livable communities, issued a statement saying he was deeply disappointed and would hold Milton accountable.

“This is not only a loss for Milton but for our entire state, as we desperately need more housing near transit to lower costs,” he said. “While we are hopeful that we can work with the town to put forward a new plan that would bring them into compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, at this time they are non-compliant, which means they will begin losing out on significant grant funding from the state.”

It’s unclear how much grant funding is at stake. Under state law, Milton will no longer qualify for MassWorks and HousingWorks grants, which provided $120,000 to the municipality since 2021. Half of that money, however, went for grants to help Milton comply with the MBTA Communities law.

State officials say they will also take noncompliance with the zoning law into account when awarding grants under a host of other programs, but denial is not required under those programs.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell tweeted that she was disappointed “that a select group of Milton residents chose to be part of the problem rather than the solution to our housing affordability crisis.” She may take the town to court.

Gov. Maura Healey, who has made housing one of her top priorities, issued a stern warning to Milton voters this week, to no avail.

“Housing is the number one issue in the state and my message to voters is if you want your kids to be able to afford to live here in Massachusetts, if you want to be able to continue live in Massachusetts as you get older, if you want our companies and our businesses growing and expanding, we need housing across the state and we need communities like Milton and communities across the state to do what needs doing in terms of creating more housing opportunities,” Healey said. “In terms of funding, I think our administration has been clear that communities that do not comply with the MBTA Communities Act will not be receiving state funding.”

Milton Town Meeting approved a multi-family overlay district zoning plan that would have complied with the MBTA Communities zoning law on December 11 but opponents succeeded in forcing a special town vote on the issue. The vote was originally scheduled for Tuesday but was delayed until Wednesday to avoid the snowstorm that never materialized. Now that the zoning plan has been defeated, the town is not in compliance with the state law.

Milton Town Clerk Susan Galvin said the margin of victory for the no forces was very large and would unlikely be reversed if a recount is requested. “It would be really difficult,” she said.