Comprehensive Planning

Housing and Community Development

SRPEDD works with our member communities to produce market-rate and subsidized housing that meets local community development needs, that is affordable to a variety of households and incomes, and that 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.

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

Housing 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 Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP) to provide technical assistance to its member communities affected by Section 3A.

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.

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.

Middleborough 40R

Visit Project Website

New Bedford Transit-Oriented Development (NBTOD)