Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
An economic development package signed into law by the governor on Aug. 13 contains several components important to municipalities.
The final bill also did not contain any major policy change that would have diminished local control of land use. Due to overwhelming opposition from local officials, language that would have allowed the telecommunications industry to site wireless antennas in virtually any location regardless of local zoning did not survive in the final bill.
The law includes $10 million for brownfields remediation, expands the successful I-Cubed infrastructure program, and increases eligibility for the Economic Development Incentive Program, allowing more businesses to qualify.
In total, the package contains approximately $80 million in expenditures and an equivalent amount in tax breaks.
Several components of the law target the state’s Gateway Cities, including an increase in tax credits for the Housing Development Incentive Program from $5 million to $10 million to promote market-rate housing development, and the creation of a Transformative Development Fund, capitalized at $16 million, designed to catalyze economic development projects that will improve an entire neighborhood or district.
The law retains broad eligibility standards for MassWorks grant funding, but also establishes a funding preference for projects aligned with “smart growth” principles and housing production. MassWorks is a primary grant funding mechanism for major local infrastructure projects.
Despite strong support from the MMA and many local officials, the economic development package does not lift the cap on the number of liquor licenses each municipality may issue. After signing the bill, Gov. Deval Patrick filed legislation in August to remove the statutory caps on liquor licenses, but the bill is unlikely to advance now that the Legislature is no longer meeting in formal sessions this year. In the next legislative session, the MMA will continue fighting to return control of liquor licenses to municipalities.