Looking for information on MAPC’s official meetings and legal notices? Find it here.
After regular community updates, NSPC members will hear from Katharine Lacy at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership and Maritza Crossen at the Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association about monitoring affordable units and potential TA opportunities around affordable housing. We will also be joined by Laurie Stanton from the Metro North Regional Housing Services Office that monitors affordable units and provides support for the towns of Reading, North Reading, Wilmington and Saugus.
Council Members Register here for the Winter Council Meeting .
Drop-in community event! What do you want the region to be like, long-term? Please join us for a drop-in, interactive, expo-style listening session featuring remarks by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
Some issues are bigger than any one neighborhood, city, or town: Transportation, housing, climate, jobs, equity, and more. That’s why your community is part of Greater Boston’s next long-term regional plan, MetroCommon 2050, which is now being developed.
Join us any time from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and stay as long as you like. We’ll have displays and activities about the region, and interesting ways for you to tell us what you care about.
This Listening Session will include the MAPC Council Meeting, which will take place from 4 to 4:30.
A speaking portion of the event, featuring remarks by Mayor Martin J. Walsh will begin at 5:30 p.m.
Free of charge
Refreshments served
Families welcome
RSVPs are encouraged so we have a rough head count. RSVP here: https://mapc.ma/MarchListeningSession
Can’t make it to this listening session? Watch the MetroCommon 2050 event page to learn about more: https://metrocommon.mapc.org/events/
For interpretation and other accommodations, please contact Iolando Spinola at 617.933.0713.
In December 2018, Governor Baker’s Commission on the Future of Transportation released their recommendations to address future challenges in transportation, exploring everything from the impacts of climate change to the rise of autonomous vehicle technology. This conference will give attendees an opportunity to hear directly from Commissioners as they present and discuss their findings. Secretary of Transportation, Stephanie Pollack, will offer a keynote address.
This event is free and open to the public, however, preregistration is required. Preregister here. Refreshments will be available.
Agenda:
Welcoming Remarks:
Rafael Carbonell, Executive Director, Taubman Center for State and Local Government
Keynote:
Stephanie Pollack, MA Secretary of Transportation
Presentation on the Future of Transportation:
Steve Kadish*, Chair, Commission on the Future of Transportation in Massachusetts and Senior Research Fellow, Taubman Center for State and Local Government
Panel Discussion:
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- Rebecca Davis*, Deputy Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
- Tony Gomez-Ibanez*, Derek C. Bok Professor of Urban Planning and Policy at Harvard University
- Karen Sawyer Conard*, Executive Director, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
- Moderator- Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Executive Director, 128 Business Council, and member of the MBTA Fiscal Management Advisory Board
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Presentation on Autonomous Vehicles Policy:
Mark Fagan, Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Panel Discussion:
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- Colleen Quinn*, Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy, ChargePoint
- Carol Lee Rawn*, Director of Transportation, CERES
- Gretchen Effgen* Vice President of Global Partnerships and Business Team, Nutonomy
- Moderator – Kris Carter, Co-Director, Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston
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Closing Remarks:
Joe Aiello, Senior Fellow, Meridiam Infrastructure and Chairman, MBTA Fiscal Management Advisory Board
*Members of the MA Commission on the Future of Transportation
Sponsored by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
One Year Later:
Reflecting on the Future of Transportation Commission report and what lies ahead for the Commonwealth
NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT
Dear Friends of MAPC:
Out of an abundance of caution, MAPC has decided to postpone the Winter Council Meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday, March 10) in Framingham. Over the next few days, we will assess the situation and decide how to reschedule the Council Meeting and Legislative Panel on Housing, Transportation, and Climate. We will consider rescheduling as a virtual event, which will provide Council members and allies the opportunity to learn the latest about what is going on at the State House, without having to participate in a crowded event that might make some people uncomfortable.
I realize we sent out a note earlier this morning reminding people about the Council Meeting, and I apologize if this update causes any confusion. Still, we feel the wisest course is to postpone the meeting, and to reschedule in a different format.
Please stay tuned, and stay safe!
Best regards,
Marc Draisen
Executive Director
COVID-19-related unemployment could cause a massive housing crisis in Massachusetts. 468,000 Massachusetts residents filed unemployment claims in the first three weeks of the COVID crisis.
Who has been laid off? How many are now at risk of eviction or foreclosure? Will CARES Act assistance help? What about those who don’t qualify for federal aid? Join MAPC staff for a virtual discussion of our research brief, “The COVID-19 Layoff Housing Gap.”
On April 21, MAPC is releasing an update to “The COVID-19 Layoff Housing Gap” with the latest unemployment data.
At this webinar on April 22, MAPC Data Services Director Tim Reardon and Socioeconomic Analyst II Sarah Philbrick will discuss the updated data–and what it means for workers, municipalities, and the Commonwealth.
Join MAPC to hear from housing organizations, the Department of Housing & Community Development, and Boston and other municipalities on how to respond to residents at risk of eviction or other destabilizing forces during the pandemic.
We’ll learn about the anticipated impacts of expiring eviction moratoria, an overview of the Governor’s Eviction Diversion Initiative, and tenant rights and responsibilities. A panel will then discuss tools available to help residents stay in their homes, how to implement them, and what localities are doing to support residents experiencing housing instability during these unprecedented times.
Speakers will include:
Tim Reardon, Director of Data Services, MAPC
Chris Kluchman, Deputy Director, Community Services Division, DHCD
Tom Ambrosino, City Manager, City of Chelsea
Domonique Williams, Deputy Director, Office of Housing Stability, City of Boston
Chris Cotter, Housing Director, City of Cambridge
Keith Benoit, Community Development Planner, City of Northampton
Melrose, Malden, and Medford worked with the MAPC to collaboratively develop sustainable and resilient building design guidelines for residential and mixed-use developments and retrofits. These voluntary guidelines will help these communities encourage developers to build more more affordable housing that is energy-efficient and climate-resilient.
Join us for an interactive webinar on April 26 at 12:00 p.m. to learn about the guidelines and hear from the communities about how they plan to use them to shape green, affordable development.
The Town of Belmont MBTA Communities Advisory Committee invites you to a hybrid public forum to get your input on the future of multifamily housing in Belmont.
Whether you will be joining us in person at the Beech Street Center or virtually via Zoom, please register through this page so we know how many people to expect.
What to Expect at the Forum:
Members of the Advisory Committee, staff from the Town of Belmont, and planners from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council will present information about how Belmont is planning to comply with the Multifamily Zoning Requirement for MBTA Communities law (often called “Section 3A”). They will also ask for your ideas on where you think that multifamily housing should go in Belmont and what it should look like.
In-Person Location:
Beech Street Center, 266 Beech Street, Belmont On-site parking is available, and the Center is 0.3 miles from the intersection of Trapelo Road and Beech Street on MBTA Bus Route 73. Registration is not required to attend in person, though it is preferred.
Zoom Option:
Everyone who registers will receive a link to the Zoom meeting, even if you plan to attend in person.
Please join us for this webinar to learn more about a new MAPC Section 3A decision-making support tool!
Background
In 2021, the Massachusetts Legislature added a new section to the state’s Zoning Act (MGL Chapter 40A) — MBTA Communities Multifamily Zoning Requirement (Section 3A) — that requires each municipality in the MBTA district to zone for by-right multifamily housing near transit stations or smart growth locations.
MAPC has developed an interactive MBTA Communities Multifamily Zoning Requirement (Section 3A) District Suitability Analysis Tool to help municipalities within the MAPC region identify locations for 3A zoning districts that also advance regional and local goals.
This Webinar
MAPC staff will provide an overview of the tool’s use and showcase how it may be applied, in tandem with stakeholder-driven processes, to facilitate conversations around areas suitable for new housing production.
Register to join us for this event
Questions? Please contact:
Emma Battaglia (ebattaglia@mapc.org)