Bill > S602

This bill amends Chapter 40B of the Massachusetts General Laws, which governs affordable housing projects, by adding a new provision requiring that any application to build low or moderate income housing within a historic district, as defined by Chapter 40C, must first obtain a certificate of appropriateness from the local historic commission. This commission's hearing will occur at the same time as the local zoning board's hearing, and any conditions set by the historic commission will be incorporated into the building permit. Importantly, these conditions cannot be challenged as "uneconomic" (meaning they don't make the project financially unfeasible) before the housing appeals committee, and the application itself cannot be rejected solely because it is located within an historic district.