The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic is now accepting applications for its Community Planning Grant Program.
Donor Name: Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/02/2023
Size of the Grant: $50,000-$100,000
Details:
The Community Planning Grant Program provides funding for technical assistance for Community Planning projects. This competitive grant program awards funds based on the community planning or zoning project’s nexus with housing, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and community development including funding for MBTA Communities.
Community planning grants may be used for a variety of activities related to community planning such as a Master Plan, Housing Production Plan, Neighborhood Plan, Regional Plan, Corridor Plan, Urban Renewal Plan, Downtown Plan, Municipal Surplus Property Disposition Plan, District Improvement Financing (DIF) Plan, Parking Management Plan, and other strategic plans, and zoning revisions such as Zoning Revisions
Examples of these projects include, but are not limited to:
- Create a housing production plan to better understand housing needs of the community and identify strategies to reduce gaps in existing housing relative to identified needs
- Create a multi-family zoning district near a transit station
- Create a corridor study of a commercial area that seeks land use alternatives to promote multi-modal access, introduce mixed-use, and achieve more compact commercial development
- Review current zoning to identify and remove language that excludes certain housing types.
- Develop 40R/40Y Smart Growth or Starter Home districts
- Review zoning ordinances and create a plan to update zoning rules to unlock potential housing production and economic development growth.
Funding Information
- Community Planning grants are limited to up to $100,000 in funding for single entities. Funding over this limit will only be considered for joint and regional applications on a case-by-case basis based on project need, outcomes, impact, and scope of engagement plan and implementation
- Grants in this category will likely be $50,000-$100,000
- 2024 grants are expected to be awarded in the fall of 2023 and funded projects must be completed by June 30, 2025.
Eligibility Criteria
All Massachusetts municipalities, Regional Planning Agencies, and municipal entities (Redevelopment Authorities, Economic Development Industrial Corporations, body created by legislative act to serve a municipality), are eligible for consideration of Community Planning grant. Applications may be submitted by a single applicant, two or more eligible applicants in a joint application with one lead entity, and applications from a regional entity.
For more information, visit MEOHED.