BOSTON (WWLP) – To celebrate Climate Week, the Baker-Polito Administration announced $1,217,619 in grant funding for 26 projects through the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Land Use Planning Assistance Grant Program.
This grant program provides towns with critical funding to undertake public processes and hire technical expertise to reduce and prepare for climate change impacts. It also improves land use practices, conserve and sustainably develop land, and to branch out housing choices.
“In 2018, the Baker-Polito Administration created the Land Use Planning Assistance Grant Program, and since that time, over $7 million has been invested into 125 local projects across the Commonwealth,” said EEA Secretary Beth Card. “Many of the projects being funded through this grant program will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is critical as we strive to mitigate the impacts of climate change. We are eager to continue to work with our municipal and local partners to make communities in Massachusetts better and more resilient places to live and work.”
The planning Assistance Grant Program is part of the technical assistance that is offered to communities in support of Baker-Polito Administration’s Housing Choice Initiative. It also helps towns comply with Section 3A of the Zoning Act. Funding enables towns to improve their land use practices, branch out housing choices, and develop land that is consistent with the Massachusetts Sustainable Development Principles.
The following applicates received grant funding for 2023:
Applicant | Community | Project | Grant Amount |
Maynard | Acton & Maynard | Powder Mill Road Corridor Zoning Implementation Project | $35,000 |
Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) | Great Barrington, Lanesborough, Lenox, Monterey, and Williamstown. | Decarbonizing Berkshire County | $37,500 |
BRPC | Sheffield | Housing Production Plan Implementation | $25,000 |
Burlington | Burlington | Form Based Code | $50,000 |
Cape Cod Commission (CCC) | Chatham, Eastham, Provincetown, Truro, & Wellfleet | Regulatory Tools for Development in the Floodplain | $148,534 |
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) | Auburn | Auburn Housing Production Plan Update | $11,250 |
CMRPC | Hardwick | Hardwick Open Space and Recreation Plan Update | $10,875 |
CMRPC | Princeton | Princeton Ecotourism Economic Development Plan | $33,425 |
CMRPC | Regionwide Project | Build-Out Analysis Pilot | $24,930 |
CMRPC | Rutland | Rutland Master Plan Update | $28,105 |
Dracut | Dracut | MBTA Housing Requirements | $40,000 |
Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) | Ashfield, Buckland, Colrain, Deerfield, & Shutesbury | Regional Pollinator Habitat Corridor Action Plan & Pollinator Toolkit | $50,500 |
Littleton | Littleton | TOD Zoning to meet MBTA Zoning Requirements | $50,000 |
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) | Framingham and Malden | Climate Action Roadmap Development | $100,000 |
Milton | Milton | East Milton Overlay Zoning | $40,000 |
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) | Lunenburg | MBTA Housing Requirements | $30,000 |
MRPC | Shirley | Master Plan Implementation | $25,000 |
Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) | Amesbury, Andover, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Lawrence, Merrimac, Methuen, Newbury, North Andover, Rowley, Salisbury, and West Newbury | Housing Production Plan update for 14 communities | $140,000 |
Nahant | Nahant | MBTA Communities Compliant Zoning | $34,950 |
Newburyport | Newburyport | Waterfront West Overlay Zoning District | $50,000 |
Pittsfield | Pittsfield | Morningside and West Side Neighborhood Rezoning | $41,250 |
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) | Belchertown, Monson, and Ware | Regulating Battery Energy Storage Best Practices and Model Zoning Bylaw/Ordinance | $16,000 |
Rockland | Rockland | MBTA Communities Compliance and Development of a Façade Improvement Program | $20,300 |
Southwick | Southwick | Master Plan | $50,000 |
Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) | Dighton, Middleboro, and other SRPEDD communities | Open Space Development Bylaws | $75,000 |
Swampscott | Swampscott | Climate Action and Resilience Plan | $50,000 |
The Baker-Polito Administration’s Housing Choice Initiative provides motivation, rewards, technical assistance, and specific legislative reform to empower cities to plan and build the diverse housing stock that the Commonwealth needs to continue to thrive.