NEWBURYPORT — Mayor Sean Reardon is pleased to announce that the City of Newburyport has been awarded a $50,000 grant to fund sustainable development projects.
The $50,000 grant was made possible by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Land Use Planning Program. The grant program provides municipalities with critical funding to undertake public processes and hire technical expertise to mitigate and prepare for climate change impacts, improve land use practices, conserve, and sustainably develop land, and diversify housing choices.
Newburyport will use the grant funding to assist with possible updates to the zoning for the Waterfront West Overlay District. This work will be done in conjunction with the City Council and Planning Board and will allow for potential redevelopment that corresponds with the character of downtown, brings much needed residential units to the district, and helps mitigate the effects of climate change. The City will also look for ways to rezone this district in compliance with new multi-family housing requirements for MBTA service communities.
The grant is part of more than $1.2 million in federal grant funding awarded by the Baker-Polito Administration to 26 municipal agencies for sustainable development projects.
“I would like to thank the Baker-Polito administration for awarded us this funding,” said Mayor Reardon. “This grant will allow us to expand housing opportunities and provide additional transportation to the residents of Newburyport, while mitigating the impacts of climate change.”
About The Planning Assistance Grant Program
The Planning Assistance Grant Program is part of the technical assistance offered to communities in support of the Baker-Polito Administration’s Housing Choice Initiative and to help municipalities comply with Section 3A of the Zoning Act (MBTA Communities). Through the program, funding enables municipalities to improve their land use practices, diversify housing choices, mitigate and prepare for climate change impacts, and otherwise plan, regulate, and act to conserve and develop land consistent with the Massachusetts’ Sustainable Development Principles.
