Comprehensive Planning

Housing and Community Development

SRPEDD Housing and Community Development works with our member communities to produce market-rate and subsidized housing that meets local needs, is affordable to a variety of households and incomes, and complements each community's natural and cultural setting.

SRPEDD has a long and proven track record of working with communities to produce desired housing and community development outcomes.

Housing is one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life and livelihood. A residence is more than a physical shelter or consumer choice – it’s a home – a place where children are raised, where individuals care for their family, where friends gather, where meals are cooked, where education takes root, where careers are launched and maintained, where pets play, where passions are pursued, and where some of our most important possessions are stored. It is also often an individual’s main financial responsibility. The quality, safety, and stability of an individual’s home has a great impact on their life and happiness.

Massachusetts provides a variety of housing laws and programs that enable cities and towns to focus on producing housing for their residents. SRPEDD has expertise in:

Housing Production Plans (HPPs)
Chapter 40R Smart Growth Zoning
Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permits and Rules and Regulations for Zoning Boards of Appeal
Chapter 40A Section 3A Multi-Family Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)
Inclusionary and Incentive Zoning Bylaws
Open Space Residential Design (OSRD), Conservation Subdivision, or "Cluster" Bylaws
Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP)
Housing Choice Initiative (HCI)

Our Mission

Our mission is to foster safe, equitable, and prosperous housing and community development outcomes for all members of our region. We aim to support initiatives and produce work that advances housing choice and stability while balancing key social, environmental, economic, and historical factors. Through robust community engagement and close municipal partnerships, SRPEDD's Housing and Community Development Department plans for housing and development that is reflective of a diverse set of needs and desired results.

Planning for Housing and Community Development to Advance Equity

Housing insecurity and lack of affordability are structural issues embedded within our social, economic, and political systems. These systemic problems take shape in many ways, but notable manifestations include:

Racial disparities in homeownership that are built upon the legacy of racist practices (such as redlining and racial restrictive covenants). Predatory lending practices, lack of access to credit, and barriers to saving for the upfront costs of homeownership only widen the gap;
Displacement via gentrification and/or high housing demand (particularly in communities within commuting distance to major employment centers) that often push low-income, older adults, and BIPOC families from their neighborhoods, disrupting social and community connections;
Intergenerational poverty that forces children into unstable environments, for example, having to frequently move and change schools. These experiences often bleed into adulthood, making it difficult to escape poverty as adults; and
Policies that hinder unhoused individuals (and especially those with behavioral issues, such as addiction and mental illness) from obtaining temporary or permanent housing. These continue to limit unhoused individuals’ access to essential supportive services and perpetuate homelessness.

These inequalities and hardships negatively impact an entire community’s well-being and prosperity, not just those experiencing them. Housing-related disparities will only continue to grow as the demand for housing, particularly in the form of home ownership, continues to increase while housing production stagnates. So, why plan for housing? Because it is only possible to address housing inequity if municipal, state, and national governments alike recognize that removing these structural barriers begins with planning.

Featured Work

Multi-Family Zoning for MBTA Communities

Enacted as part of the economic development bill in January 2021, new Section 3A of M.G.L. c. 40A (the Zoning Act) requires that an MBTA community shall have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right and that meets other criteria set forth in the statute.

SRPEDD is working with the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) to provide technical assistance to its member communities subject to Section 3A.

Visit our MBTA Communities Resource Page

Housing Production Plans (HPPs)

HPPs are a community's proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing for its residents under M.G.L. Chapter 40B. These important plans are developed in partnership with local officials and community members. By taking a proactive approach to housing production, towns are much more likely to achieve both their housing and community development goals, while also gaining more control over the 40B process.

Visit our Housing Production Plan Resource Page

Regional Housing Services Office (RHSO)

An RHSO is a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional effort that provides for the proactive management and monitoring of affordable housing in communities. The RHSO concept comes from difficulties that many communities experience in adequately managing and monitoring their affordable housing stock. In other words, RHSOs fill a common gap in housing planning by providing the expertise and staffing needed to produce and maintain vital affordable housing.

Comprehensive Planning

Housing and Community Development

SRPEDD has a long and proven track record of working with communities to produce desired housing and community development outcomes.

Contact

Robert Cabral

Taylor Perez