Pictured (l-r): Governor Charlie Baker, Town Administrator Liz Sullivan, Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Janelle Chan, Selectman Bob Mezzadri, Lt. Governor Karen Polito, and Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash.
CAPE COD – The Baker-Polito Administration awarded nearly $5 million to 31 Massachusetts communities on Friday through two new grant programs under the Housing Choice Initiative.
The administration awarded $4 million to 19 communities through the Housing Choice Capital Grant Program and nearly $1 million 12 to 12 communities by way of the Housing Choice Small Town Grant Program.
Introduced by Governor Charlie Baker in 2017, the Housing Choice Initiative is a comprehensive effort to support the creation of 135,000 housing units by the year 2025. The initiative provides incentives, rewards, and technical assistance reform to encourage and empower municipalities to build a diverse housing stock.
“Our Housing Choice Initiative is an innovative, ambitious effort to substantially increase housing production across the Commonwealth. I want to recognize all 69 of our Housing Choice Communities, who are committed to promoting new housing development in their communities,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.
“Today’s awards acknowledge the efforts of our municipalities to meet the needs of their communities, and pursue smart, long-term planning to ensure young families are able to put down roots, seniors can age in their community and all of our residents have access to housing they can afford in vibrant, safe neighborhoods.”
On the Cape, Barnstable and Provincetown are each receiving $250,000 through the 2018 Housing Choice Capital Grant Program.
Barnstable will use the funds to supplement a planned and upgrade to sewer infrastructure within Downtown Hyannis’ Growth Incentive Zone. Provincetown plans to create two new ADA accessible units at Harbor Hill in Provincetown.
Through the Housing Choice Small Town Grant Program, Eastham and Tisbury received nearly $200,000 combined.
Eastham was awarded $100,000 to support construction and installation of water lines and related infrastructure associated with construction of the Campbell-Purcell affordable housing development, a 65-unit multifamily rental development that caters to a range of incomes for families and seniors.
The $98,000 awarded to Tisbury will allow the non-profit Island Housing Trust Corporation (IHT) to install and monitor a new wastewater treatment system at the IHT’s Greenwood Avenue property where it plans to construct six townhouses for low and moderate income households with permanent affordability restrictions. This project furthers the town’s goals of increasing affordable housing and reducing nitrogen from private wastewater systems and the Tashmoo watershed.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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