Bill > H303

This bill establishes a Community Development Plan Program to help cities and towns create comprehensive strategic plans for their future development. The program, overseen by three state executive offices (Energy and Environmental Affairs, Economic Development, and Housing and Livable Communities), will provide technical assistance and resources to municipalities over a two-year period. Community development plans must include an inventory of existing infrastructure, buildings, land use regulations, and natural resources, and outline strategies for new housing opportunities, economic development, transportation and utility infrastructure improvements, and open space preservation. The commonwealth will initially appropriate $20 million to support this effort. The bill incentivizes plan creation by giving priority in discretionary fund awards to communities that complete plans and take concrete steps to increase housing supply, such as revising zoning regulations, adopting density bonuses for affordable housing, streamlining permitting processes, and supporting economic development. Communities will be required to update their community development plans at least every 10 years, and the secretaries will report to the legislature two years after the law's enactment on the status of plan development across the state. The bill aims to encourage strategic, thoughtful community planning that balances growth with preservation of local resources and affordable housing needs.