Acton embarked on two exciting projects this year: (1) Habitat for All, exploring how Acton can improve its current natural resource protection zoning and implement inclusionary zoning and updating the (2) Housing Production Plan, which is a community’s proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing by creating a strategy to enable it to meet its affordable housing needs in a manner consistent with the Chapter 40B statute and regulation. While each project has its unique goals and focus, they’re designed to inform and strengthen one another, creating a more cohesive strategy for our community’s housing needs. The needs assessment from the Housing Production Plan will help to inform inclusionary zoning efforts and the community surveys for both projects will help to inform the Housing Production Plan goals.
Events for these planning initiatives over the next three weeks
Habitat for All events:
- Wednesday November 6 – Virtual workshop on Inclusionary Zoning at 7PM via zoom.
- Open House Events
- November 19 (11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m.) Acton Memorial Library
- November 20 (7 p.m.-9 p.m.) Town Hall room 204
- November 21 (11 a.m.-1p.m.) Acton Memorial Library
Housing Production events:
- Wednesday November 13 Virtual kick-off workshop at 7 p.m. via zoom with a focus on the needs assessment, and collecting community feedback. Join using this link: tinyurl.com/ActonHPPForum1.
- Town-wide survey going live on Friday 11/8 – stay tuned for link!
What is a Housing Production Plan and why does Acton need to update it?
The last Housing Production Plan was adopted in 2020 and will expire in May of 2025.
The Town will be working with JM Goldson and our Regional Housing Services staff to help Acton update its 2020 Housing Production Plan by evaluating housing needs and establishing goals and strategies identified by the community.
- A Housing Production Plan (HPP), defined in regulations at 760 CMR 56.03 and administered by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), is a proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing.
- The HPP identifies the housing needs of a community and the goals and strategies it will use to identify and achieve or maintain the 10% threshold mandated by M.G.L. Chapter 40B0F 1.
- The Town’s status relating to this 10% threshold is documented on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), also administered by DHCD.
- This HPP Program enables municipalities to develop strategies to meet their affordable housing needs in a manner consistent with the MGL Chapter 40B statute, produce housing units in accordance with that plan, and demonstrate progress towards their affordable housing production.
- By taking a proactive approach in the adoption of an HPP, cities and towns are much more likely to achieve both their affordable housing and community planning goals. HPPs give communities under the 10% threshold of Chapter 40B, but that are making steady progress in producing affordable housing on an annual basis, more control over comprehensive permit applications for a specified period of time. HPPs give communities over the 10% threshold a framework to maintain the statutory minima in accordance with local needs and community goals.
Kristen Guichard is Acton’s planning director and zoning enforcement officer. The Acton Exchange requested an explanatory “backgrounder” article from her to help our readers understand the planning processes now underway.