Westwood Designated as a Housing Choice Community

On May 9, Governor Charlie Baker announced the designation of Westwood and nine other municipalities as Housing Choice Communities. These ten communities join the 69 Housing Choice Communities designated in 2018. The designation was launched in December 2017 as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s Housing Choice Initiative, which provides incentives, technical assistance, and capital grant funding to encourage new housing production that meets the long-term needs of the Commonwealth’s growing, and aging, population. The designation recognizes communities that adopt best practices for boosting housing production by making them eligible for competitive capital grants. The Administration has awarded $4 million to 19 communities through the Housing Choice Capital Grant Program.

At the event, the Governor Baker promoted An Act to Promote Housing Choices, legislation he filed in February that calls for targeted zoning reform to advance new housing production in Massachusetts and support the administration’s goal to produce 135,000 new housing units by 2025.

“Housing Choice grants reward and encourage municipalities’ efforts to increase housing production and exemplify the support we believe is critical to empowering community development,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “We congratulate today’s designees for their commitment to delivering important housing for residents and look forward to building on this progress by working together with the Legislature to pass our Housing Choice legislation.”

Westwood earned this designation by producing more than 450 new housing units over the last five years. The Town has also successfully put into practice a number of Best Practices recognized by the state to promote housing production for families, workers, seniors and people with disabilities. These practices include establishment of an Affordable Housing Trust, meeting statutory minima under Chapter 40B on the Subsidized Housing Inventory, a pattern of approving mixed use/Open Space Residential Development projects and a pattern of approving accessory dwelling units.

In addition to Westwood, the newly designated communities include: Ayer, Burlington, Dracut, Fall River, Franklin, Haverhill, Hingham, Newton, and Wrentham. Since 2014, these municipalities have collectively produced more than 5,800 new units of housing.

“Our families, seniors, workforce, individuals with disabilities, and vulnerable populations have diverse housing needs, and today’s market is not meeting them. Housing that our residents can afford is a crucial resource and An Act to Promote Housing Choices will create the tools we need to promote new housing development for those across incomes,” said Acting Undersecretary of Housing and Community Development Jennifer Maddox. “We are proud of the coalition we’ve built in support of this legislation and the investments we’ve made in affordable housing, community development, and public housing to benefit the many communities which contribute to our strong, inclusive Commonwealth.”