Jennifer Raitt

Jennifer Raitt serves as Chief Housing Planner and Manager of Subregions at MAPC. She has been at MAPC since 2007. She provides direct housing and planning technical assistance to municipalities, engages in regional and statewide housing policy initiatives, and coordinates the eight coordinators of MAPC’s Subregional Councils.

Current Activities

Ms. Raitt oversees MAPC’s local and regional housing activities. Her primary activities include advising local, state, and federal officials on housing policy and programs. She also provides professional assistance to local officials and other allied organizations to address local needs and concerns in housing; reviews, evaluates, develops and improves local housing plans, strategies, and by-laws; and provides her expertise to ensure implementation.

She provided assistance to 12 communities over the past year. Her work included developing the Regional Housing Services Office model with partners in Bedford, Concord, Lexington, Lincoln, Sudbury, and Weston. She is also working on Housing Production Plans for Belmont, Foxborough, Lexington, and Watertown.

Ms. Raitt is also managing a range of Sustainable Communities funded activities: the Regional Housing Plan; a Regional Analysis of Impediments/ Fair Housing and Equity Assessment, a Transit-oriented Development Finance Study with CLF Ventures, LISC, MACDC, MHIC (funded in part by the Barr Foundation, Hyams Foundation, and Ford Foundation); an Anti-Displacement Toolkit with Somerville Community Corporation, Fiscal Impact Analysis with Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, and Community Path work with Friends of the Community Path; a community engagement project for North Quincy and Wollaston with Asian Community Development Corporation and the City of Quincy, and increased engagement in MAPC’s subregions.

Ms. Raitt also coordinates the eight subregional coordinators, overseeing activities and ensuring best practices.

Past Experience

Prior to joining MAPC, Ms. Raitt served as Executive Director for North Shore Housing Trust (now Harborlight Community Partners) where she developed affordable housing throughout Essex County and advanced local and regional affordable housing initiatives. Ms. Raitt spent seven years working as Community Development Director for the Town of Amesbury and two years serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA Leader for a community land trust in Holyoke, MA.

With 17 years of experience, Ms. Raitt provides assistance to municipalities, nonprofits, statewide and regional organizations, as well as professional associations. She also teaches in the Boston University City Planning and Urban Affairs program and has been a Guest Lecturer at MIT and Tufts University.

Ms. Raitt has received many awards throughout her career: Massachusetts Municipal Association Kenneth Pickard Innovation Award (2012); the American Planning Association (APA) Massachusetts Chapter Statewide Planning Project Award (2011); MetroWest Collaborative Regional Spirit Award (2010); Outstanding Leadership and Dedication to Housing and Community Development from the APA (2004-2010); City of Salem Massachusetts Citation for Dedicated Service to Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board of Trustees (2009); MA Governor's Award for Smart Growth Leadership and Implementation (2004); APA Massachusetts Chapter Planning Project Award (2004); and a U.S. Conference of Mayors CDBG Best Practices Citation (1999).

Education and Professional Affiliations

Ms. Raitt holds a Master of Science in Nonprofit Management from the New School and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Planning and Documentary Studies from University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Her leadership appointments include serving as a board member of Citizens' Housing and Planning Association and the North Shore Community Development Coalition, member of the Legislative and Policy Committee for the American Planning Association (APA), and past-chair of the Housing and Community Development Division for the APA. She served as co-Chair of the APA Local Host Committee for the Boston 2011 National Planning Conference.

Areas of Expertise

Comprehensive planning l zoning for housing affordability l housing plan development l affordable housing development and finance l organizational planning l board development l project management l neighborhood revitalization and community development techniques l community visioning/ meeting techniques.