Municipalities can implement multiple strategies to create and preserve long-term affordability. In so doing, thye promote opportunities for lower-income residents of neighborhoods where investments are being made to stay and access the benefits of neighborhood change, such as improved housing and job opportunities and access to transit.
MAPC’s Managing Neighborhood Change: Selected Anti-Displacement Strategies in Practice toolkit provides an overview of approaches utilized by various practitioners throughout the country. Here, example strategies for consideration by cities and towns interested in managing neighborhood change. Brief descriptions of each anti-displacement strategy are accompanied by links to full explanations of the tools and case studies where they’ve been employed.
Development without Displacement
PolicyLink and the Chicago Rehab Network have published online resources that promote the adoption of “development without displacement” (D w/o D) policies in order to equitable manage neighborhood change. These policies, also referred as anti-displacement policies, intend to find ways to include the costs of displacement in redevelopment.
Community Benefits Agreements
Community Benefits Agreements are contracts executed between community-based organizations and one or more developers. Similar to Developer’s Agreements, they are intended to outline the developers’ commitment to provide a range of benefits to the community to offset the potential impacts associated with the proposed development.
Condominium Conversion Ordinances in Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) 183A enables cities and towns to adopt local ordinances and bylaws that regulate condominium conversion more strongly than the statewide law. MAPC contacted several communities that have passed local condominium conversion ordinances to learn more about how local ordinances have been enforced and/or modified over time.
One for One Affordable Housing Replacement Ordinances
In researching one for one affordable housing replacement ordinances, MAPC identified a number of instances in which the legality of the ordinances has been contested. Several states have passed enabling legislation and/or policies that support these ordinances.
Workforce Development Strategies
Workforce development strategies can be used to support neighborhood revitalization and the retention of small and local businesses. MAPC assembled a summary of two organizations’ track records in fostering and retaining local businesses.
District of Columbia Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)
TOPA stipulates that owners of residential properties must “give the tenant an opportunity to purchase the accommodation at a price and terms which represent a bona fide offer of sale”¬ before they may transfer the property to a third party. D.C. is the only city in the United States with this type of ordinance.