MMA letter to Legislature supporting bill to strengthen CPA

The Honorable Linda Dorcena Forry, House Chair
The Honorable Michael Moore, Senate Chair
Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business
State House, Boston

Dear Representative Forry, Senator Moore and Members of the Committee,

On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association would like to offer strong support for Senate Bill 90, An Act to Sustain Community Preservation. The measure seeks to strengthen the Community Preservation Act (CPA).

Many years before the passage of the CPA, the MMA endorsed the creation of a local-option law that would help communities fund the protection of open space, preservation of historic resources, and construction of affordable housing. Nine years since its adoption, the CPA has been embraced by 142 communities, representing 40 percent of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, showing the widespread appeal that the CPA option has in municipalities across the state.

Since 2001, localities have used their CPA monies to preserve more than 11,000 acres of open space, create or rehabilitate more than 3,000 affordable housing units and develop many innovative affordable housing programs, and approve funding for more than 1,600 historic preservation projects and more than 550 outdoor recreation projects. These projects strengthen our communities, preserve their unique features, improve the quality of life, and stimulate the local economy.

Most recently, the ability of our cities and towns to fund important CPA projects has been threatened by the steep decline in matching funds from the statewide CPA Trust Fund. Passage of S. 90 would ensure that the state could continue to offer a robust incentive to communities and their voting citizens to enter into the unique local-state partnership that the CPA represents. Further, the provisions of S. 90 would provide additional incentives for the Commonwealth’s non-participating communities to opt into the program, allowing the CPA’s benefits to blanket even more of Massachusetts.

On behalf of all of our members, we urge you to issue a favorable report on S. 90, and help strengthen this unique state-local partnership that works to preserve the cities and towns of Massachusetts for today’s residents and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

Geoffrey C. Beckwith
MMA Executive Director