Gov. presents housing goals at conference

At a major housing and community development conference on Nov. 13 in Worcester, some 1,000 local officials, nonprofit representatives, housing advocates and developers heard Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Gregory Bialecki, and Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein discuss the state’s housing policy plans.

Gov. Patrick set forth a challenge: produce 10,000 multi-family housing units every year, or 80,000 new multi-family units by 2020, to drive economic development in Massachusetts.

“A growing economy needs to accommodate a growing workforce,” he said. “We need more housing for moderate-income families … near jobs, transit, and city and town centers. Housing brings vitality to town centers and supports local businesses.”

The initiative, known as Compact Neighborhoods, offers incentives to municipalities to adopt zoning to promote multi-family housing development and “smart growth.” Municipalities that receive Compact Neighborhood certification from the state will receive priority consideration for funding from the MassWorks program, as well as priority consideration for other discretionary grant funding that will be proposed later this year.

To participate, a municipality must identify an “as-of-right” base or overlay zoning district that will become the Compact Neighborhood, request a letter of eligibility from the Department of Housing and Community Development, and adopt Compact Neighborhood zoning, resulting in certification from the DHCD.

“We need housing, in ways that are … locally responsible and locally reflective,” said DHCD Deputy Undersecretary Arthur Jemison.

The Compact Neighborhoods policy has roots in the state’s December 2011 economic development plan, “Choosing to Compete in the 21st Century,” which focuses on building talent, the innovation economy, empowering regions, the ease of doing business, and improving cost competitiveness.

The DHCD-sponsored conference, “Under One Roof: Building a Strong Foundation for Housing and Community Development in the Commonwealth,” was the most comprehensive of its kind in more than a decade. It sought to explore the interrelated opportunities, challenges, and initiatives across the spectrum of housing policy development in Massachusetts, and to highlight the partnership between the state and agencies such as MassHousing, MassDevelopment, the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, and the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation.

For more information on the Compact Neighborhood policy, visit www.mass.gov/hed/economic/eohed/dhcd.