Posted on March 20, 2006
Proposed housing efforts in Chelsea and Boston were among the recipients of funding to support smart growth in Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney has announced.
The funds for housing were included in Romney’s announcement of the state’s plan to invest $516.5 million in Commonwealth Capital grant and loan funds to build housing near public transit, improve water quality and sewer service and upgrade transportation and environmental infrastructure.
“To generate new jobs, spark economic growth and remain competitive, we need to be smart about how we invest taxpayer dollars in growth and development in Massachusetts,” said Romney at a news conference on March 16 in Chelsea, which will receive $3 million for various projects.
Grant funds for smart growth housing are being awarded from two funds – the Transit Oriented Development Program (TOD) and the Commercial Area Transit Node Program (CATNHP).
MHP supported and was the public partner applicant for two Boston developments that received grant funding - Dudley Village and Adams Court Phase B. Both applications were for TOD funding. Dudley Village received TOD funding, while the Adams Court request was shifted and funded through CATNHP. For a description of the application process for these programs, click here and read the Nov. 4 MHP ebulletin entitled “Q&A on transit oriented grants.”
Here are the efforts that will be receiving funding from these two programs:
Transit Oriented Development Program (TOD)
The TOD Infrastructure and Housing Support Program provides financial assistance for four specific types of projects—pedestrian improvements, bicycle facilities, housing projects, and parking facilities—in mixed use developments within 1/4 mile of transit stations.
City of Chelsea - $500,000 for Gerrish Pedestrian Walkway
City of Lynn - $500,000 for Munroe Street pedestrian improvements
City of Chelsea - $2 million for Atlas/Janus Rental Housing project
City of Boston - $2 million for Dudley Village (North and South) Housing project
City of Boston - $2 million for Ashmont Village Mixed Use Housing project
Commercial Area Transit Node Housing Program (CATNHP)
CATNHP is a state funded bond program available to municipalities, non-profit and for-profit sponsors to support first-time homebuyer housing through new construction or acquisition and rehabilitation of housing projects of 25 units or more within neighborhood commercial areas and in proximity to public transit nodes.
City of Boston - $750,000 for , Long Glen Home Ownership project
City of Chelsea - $560,000 for Atlas Home Ownership project
City of Boston - $750,000 for Ashmont Station Mixed Use Project
City of Boston - $550,000 for Adams Court Phase B Housing project
All told, the awards – $15.5 million in grants and $501 million in low-interest loans – are part of a system initiated by Romney that distributes state funding in a targeted fashion. Cities and towns competitively apply for Commonwealth Capital funds by detailing initiatives to produce more housing or to change local zoning rules to promote smart growth principles. More than 260 cities and towns have participated in the program since its inception in 2003.
For a complete list of grants and loans, click here.
“These grants and loans make sure that capital funds are prioritized for communities that make smart growth happen,” said Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey. “In doing so, cities and towns across Massachusetts are better able to revitalize neighborhoods, create jobs, and protect their water by building where infrastructure already exists.”
“The state spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year on infrastructure and Commonwealth Capital is a way to make sure that investment is in alignment with the Romney Administration’s sustainable development agenda,” said Douglas I. Foy, Secretary of the Office for Commonwealth Development, which was created by Romney to coordinate state agencies responsible for housing, transportation, environment and energy.