In this issue...

• Bill Summary: Housing Bond Bill Passed

• Governor Signs Wage Equity Legislation for Employers with 25 or More Employees

• Economic Development Components of FY25 State Budget

• ReadyMass 100 Site Listings

• Informational Forum for Businesses on Public Contracting

• Your Input Sought: 495/MetroWest Partnership Vision & Priorities on Housing

• In Case You Missed It: Strength in Numbers, Community Profiles, and Employer Survey Results

• Job Posting: Westborough, Southborough Opportunities

Bill Summary: Housing Bond Bill Passed

As the state Legislative session closed last week, both the House and Senate passed a reconciled version of the Affordable Homes Act (H.4977), a major housing bond bill intended to increase housing production in the state through policy changes, tax credit programs, and targeted investments. The bill is now before the Governor awaiting her signature; she is expected to sign the measure tomorrow (Tuesday, August 6th). 

What follows are summary statements of selected components of the proposed legislation of interest to 495/MetroWest Partnership stakeholders; please note the summary which follows does not address all components of the legislation. 

Policy Initiatives in the Legislation 

• Statewide Housing Plan: Adds to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities’ (EOHLC) authorizing statute a requirement to prepare a statewide housing plan.

• Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) As-Of-Right: Permits ADUs (<900 SF) to be built by-right in single-family zoning districts in all communities.

• Supportive Housing Pool Fund: Creates a flexible supportive housing pool program to provide critical assistance for supportive housing.

Capital Authorizations 

• $175 million for HousingWorks Infrastructure Program: Funds municipal infrastructure projects to encourage denser housing development.

• $2.2 billion for Public Housing: Supports the repair, rehabilitation, and modernization of public housing units across the Commonwealth.

• $800 million for Affordable Housing Trust Fund: Provides resources to create or preserve affordable housing for households whose incomes are not more than 110% of area median income.

• $425 million for Housing Stabilization and Investment Fund: Consolidates the Housing Stabilization Fund and the Community Investment and Preservation Fund; supports preservation, new construction, and rehabilitation projects.

• $275 million for Sustainable and Green Housing Initiatives.

• $200 million for Housing Innovations Fund: Supports alternative forms of rental housing including single person occupancy (SPO) units.

Tax Credits

• Homeowner Production Tax Credit: New credit to incentivize production of homeownership units targeting households with incomes of up to 120% AMI.

• $15 million for the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC).

Click here to access the full text of the legislation, as well as its current status; the bill does not take effect until signed by the Governor. Note that inclusion in a bond bill, when signed into law, does not mean a project or program is imminently due to be funded, only that the administration has the authorization necessary to borrow the funds and utilize those funds for the designated purpose.

Governor Signs Wage Equity Legislation for Employers with 25 or More Employees

Governor Healey signed into law An Act relative to salary range transparency (H.4890), which requires public and private employers with 25 or more employees to disclose pay ranges in job postings, provide the pay range of a position to an employee who is offered a promotion or transfer and, on request, provide the pay range to employees who already hold that position or are applying for it. The Attorney General’s Office will conduct a public awareness campaign on these new rules.  

The Attorney General’s Office will also be given enforcement authority and the ability to impose fines or civil citations for violations of this law, and employees will receive protections against retaliation for asking for salary ranges when applying for a job or promotion.

The legislation also requires public and private employers with 100 or more employees to submit wage data reports to the state, which will then be published through aggregate wage reports by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

Click here to access the complete text of the legislation.

Economic Development Components of FY25 State Budget

The Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) state budget signed into law by Governor Healey earlier this week included a number of economic development-focused appropriations. The FY25 state budget will stand as is following the Governor's vetoes, as the Legislature did not override any vetoes issued. 

Economic development items included in the final budget:

• MassTech Collaborative Initiatives: $6 million in funding for MassTech programs such as the Innovation Institute, Center for Advanced Manufacturing, the MassCyberCenter, and internship/mentorship programs.
• Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) Grant Program: $7.5 million for program that leverages a statewide network of nonprofit organizations to offer technical assistance, education, and access to capital for small businesses. 
• Massachusetts Downtown Initiative: $600,000 for grants to support local community development.
• Reciprocity Unit at the Division of Occupational Licensure (DOL): New unit will be charged with guiding those with qualified credentials from other jurisdictions, seeking licensure in Massachusetts, through the regulatory process for professions under DOL oversight.
• Entrepreneur-in-Residence Pilot Program: Aimed at keeping highly skilled international graduates in Massachusetts by partnering with higher education institutions, such as UMass. 
• Commercialization Seed Fund: $400,000 for MassVentures to fund small, quick turnaround projects that will enable researchers to obtain further funding for additional proof of concept or commercialization.
• Climatech Collaboration: Supports expanded coordination between EOED, EEA, and the MassCEC to bolster the state’s position in climatetech.

Click here to access full details of the FY25 state budget, inclusive of the Governor's vetoes.

ReadyMass 100 Site Listings

MassEcon is currently accepting submissions for their ReadyMass 100 listing. ReadyMass 100 is a program marketing the top available commercial real estate assets in Massachusetts. The program is a select list of up to 100 properties that reflect a high level of marketability and will attract prospective companies and site selectors to consider Massachusetts as an expansion location.

Properties included in the ReadyMass 100 are:

• Highlighted on the ReadyMass 100 searchable portfolio
• Promoted to the national and local site selection community
• Provided priority status in matching companies’ real estate needs through MassEcon’s Site Selection Service

The current ReadyMass portfolio can be viewed here.

Click here to review the minimum criteria for your land site or building. If your property meets all the minimum criteria, begin by completing the appropriate Land Application or Building Application. If your property is selected for the ReadyMass 100, you will be contacted by MassEcon; there is a fee associated with having a site listing. Questions can be directed to Doug Kehlhem at MassEcon at (617) 924-4600 x112 or dkehlhem@massecon.com.

Informational Forum for Businesses on Public Contracting

The 495/MetroWest Partnership, the Town of Acton, the Middlesex West Chamber of Commerce, and others will co-host an informational forum "How to Grow Your Business Through Public Contracting." The event will feature representatives from the state's Operational Services Division and Supplier Diversity Office presenting on how businesses can qualify and compete for state contracting work. 

The forum will be held on September 10th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at Acton Town Hall, in Room 204. The event is open to area businesses, consultants, contractors, and tradespersons to learn about working with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This free workshop and networking event will include light refreshments. Click here to register. 

Your Input Sought:

495/MetroWest Partnership Vision & Priorities on Housing

The state's housing crunch carries significant economic risk for the 495/MetroWest region. The Housing Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership is leading the development of a consensus "Vision and Priorities" statement for the organization, which will establish the Partnership's vision and core beliefs on the subject of housing, as well as outline specific actions that should be taken to address the situation.

The draft Housing Vision and Priorities statement is available for review at this link. The draft was developed by the Housing Committee's Co-Chairs, working in tandem with Partnership staff. Your feedback is sought and welcomed; the document has not yet been acted upon by the Board of Directors of the 495/MetroWest Partnership, and at this time does not represent the organization’s formal position. Your feedback will help inform the organization's position prior to ratification by the Board. 

You are invited to utilize this online form to offer comments on the draft; comments may also be submitted via email to Executive Director Jason Palitsch via email at Jason@495Partnership.org. Please note that anonymous comments will not be considered.

In Case You Missed It: Strength in Numbers, Community Profiles, and Employer Survey Results

Our 2024 annual reports and datasets are now available on the Partnership's website:

• Strength in Numbers: Each year, the 495/MetroWest Partnership publishes our annual Strength in Numbers update, highlighting the advantages of locating and doing business in our region. While containing some economic data points of interest, the primary purpose of Strength in Numbers is to provide the region’s economic stakeholders with a set of consistent talking points to utilize in promoting the economic advantages of doing business in 495/MetroWest. 

• 495/MetroWest Employer Survey: Our 495/MetroWest Employer Survey is an annual project undertaken in conjunction with Framingham State University’s MetroWest Economic Research Center (MERC). The survey, now in its 11th year, gauges the outlook and intentions of business leaders across the region, in addition to highlighting employer concerns. In 2024, 176 total employers took part, a 14% increase in participation over the 2023 survey.

• Community Profiles (Individual profiles are available at the linked "Reports & Data" page of our website, with a distinct link for each community's profile): Each year, the 495/MetroWest Partnership publishes economic and demographic profiles of each of our 36 cities and towns. Data points presented in each community profile include population changes, educational attainment, commuting patterns, housing information, occupations and industries, and more. 

Job Posting: Westborough, Southborough Opportunities

The 495/MetroWest Partnership includes job postings at the request of a municipality, Investor business, or stakeholder group; please contact Executive Director Jason Palitsch via email to request inclusion of a job posting in a future Information and Resource Update.

Click the respective link to access each complete job posting.

• Town of Westborough, Assistant Town Planner: Westborough is seeking an Assistant Town Planner under the day-to-day direction of the Director of Planning, this role performs a variety of technical and professional work to support current and long-range planning of the Town, with a focus on housing and transportation planning.

• Town of Westborough, Economic Development Coordinator: Westborough is seeking an Economic Development Coordinator, responsible for planning, organizing and implementing economic development initiatives in the Town and performs skilled administrative and technical work in support of business development and business retention efforts intended to promote community vitality and expansion of the local economy. Oversees economic development assistance and incentive programs; supports the Economic Development Committee; coordinates weekly business development meetings.  

• Town of Southborough, Civil Engineer: Southborough is seeking a Civil Engineer whose responsibilities shall include civil engineering, surveying, construction inspection, plan review, coordinating permits, design, cost estimating, preparation of bid documents and project management.