COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT
Housing News
On September 12, CHAPA, along with Department of Housing and Community Development and 21 industry, non-profit and state partners, submitted an Amicus Brief to the Supreme Judicial Court in the case of Terrence Marengi v.
After the success of affordable rental search website, Housing Navigator’s first year, MyMassHome launches today as the homeownership component in a suite of tools for hopeful affordable, accessible homebuyers. MyMassHome is a free website that serves as a one-stop portal with connections to all the resources homebuyers with low, moderate, and fixed incomes in Massachusetts need.
On September 6, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) released a Winter 2023 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the affordable housing competition rental round.
DHCD will make resources available from the state and federal low income housing tax credit; American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) rental funds; HOME; National Housing Trust Fund; Affordable Housing Trust Fund and other housing capital resources; and federal and state project-based vouchers.
On September 1, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published Fair Market Rents (FMRs) for FY2023. Published annually, FMRs are an estimate of the amount of money that would cover gross rents (rent and utilities) on 40% of the rental housing in a regional area.
CHAPA is pleased to see that the final MBTA multi-family zoning guidelines issued by the Baker Administration put the Commonwealth on the path to achieving our state’s housing goals. This is the most significant change to zoning in more than 40 years and will make it possible to create the homes people need, support local businesses, reduce car dependency, and help stabilize rents and home prices that have been rising faster than people’s incomes.
Slides with Overview of Final Guidelines for MBTA Communities
On August 10, Governor Baker signed a clean energy and climate bill (H.5060) which includes a pilot program to allow ten cities and towns to restrict or prohibit the use of fossil fuels in most construction or major renovation projects. Governor Baker expressed concern that the pilot program could slow housing production. It is not clear which ten communities will be selected to participate in the pilot but Boston has already expressed interest passing a fossil fuel ban.
On August 9, the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) issued new guidance for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), as required in the FY23 MRVP Budget Line Item passed in July. DHCD is implementing new calculation methods for both Mobile and Project Based Voucher Tenant Rent Shares for MRVP.
The Legislature failed to pass an economic development bill by the close of the legislative session, which ended on July 31. A conference committee could not agree to a final bill as it negotiated differences between each chamber's respective versions.