BOSTON -- In a hot election year, there's another controversial issue that's been added to the ballot.

A yes vote on Question 2 would put an end to a 40-year-old housing law that calls for developers to include a percentage of below market housing in their projects to make them more affordable to middle income people. Developers can build 40B projects with fewer zoning restrictions.

That's raised the ire of residents who say the developments are out of control and ruining their neighborhoods.

Question 2 proponents say their opposition to the 40B law is all about towns controlling their own destiny. But opponents see this as another political chapter of "not in my backyard."

"Without this law, we're not going to be in the business of constructing affordable housing," said Tripp Jones, of the Campaign to Protect Affordable Housing.

But backers of a 40B repeal say the law's intent is not adhered to.

"It's abused and misused by developers," said John Belskis, of the Coalition for the Repeal of 40B.

Belskis said 40B has allowed too many developers to squeeze too many units into developments to maximize profits, since 20 percent of their inventory must be sold at lower prices. He claimed the ones who suffer are those already living in the neighborhoods.

"You can't get water and sewer into some of these places. So abutters have to end up redoing their septic systems because of overloads. They have to redo their wells because the aquifers have been drained by the large units," said Belskis.

"It's not true," said Jones. "You're talking to somebody who lives in a community where there's a development going up right now. I know very well, what's happening in my community. We need that housing."

Jones said without 40B, 80 percent of the affordable housing built over the last decade wouldn't exist.

Susan Gittelman heads a nonprofit that built a 57-unit project more than a year ago. 15 were sold at below market rates to seniors and young working families.

"It allows people to live a quality of life where they can balance work and family. They can live in their communities. They're not commuting for hours on end," said Gittelman of B'Nai B'rith Housing.

"The question people ask is who's going to live there?," she added, "Are they people in my community? Are they going to be people like me? And you know, that's challenging."

Belskis said his support of a repeal has nothing to do with who moves in.

"That's not the rationale for it at all," Belskis said. "The sad truth is that it's not taking care of the people in the lowest income bracket, the people in the 30 percent of the median income. It's built for 80 percent and plus.

But the law was intended to help that exact income group. Unlike lower income housing, 40B's are not subsidized.

While proponents of Question 2 spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to collect the signatures to get on the ballot, they say they will be at a financial disadvantage this fall because, unlike the other side, they won't be able to raise the funds to run a media campaign.

"We're in the process of raising the funds. We're going to have a grassroots campaign. We're feeling good about how we're set up at this point," said Jones.

Belskis said he'll need a substantial influx of financial support to allow him to compete this November.