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Need to Know Now
The MBTA's Fiscal Cliff and the Future of Public Transit
Thank you to everyone who was able to join us for this webinar yesterday (we had over 400 people registered!). Within the next week, we will send out an email with a link to the recording, additional resources, and ways to stay engaged. Whether you were able to join us or not, if you would like to receive this information, please subscribe to our News and Events email list!
Subscribe to MAPC's News and Events List
MAPC Joins the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
By joining this Network, MAPC is committing to bringing an age-friendly lens to our work, including, but not limited to our technical assistance, research, engagement, and public policy work.
Read the Press Release to Learn More
Sumner Tunnel Closure
As of July 5 through August 5, the Sumner Tunnel is fully closed for repair work on the Tunnel. Governor Healey's Administration and MassDOT have created a helpful informational document in multiple languages about the closure and alternate travel routes.
Access the Sumner Tunnel Closure Document
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MAPC, Boston, Cambridge, Everett, and Newton Awarded a $3 Million PRO Housing Grant from HUD
Under a new U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program that supports communities in actively removing barriers to affordable housing – Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) – MAPC, along with partnering cities of Boston, Cambridge, Everett, and Newton, has received a $3M grant to explore innovative building methods to build new homes.
The grant will fund the creation of a regional strategy to research and incentivize the use of innovative offsite construction methods to meet housing, climate, and economic development goals.
For more information, view the PRO Housing Award Announcement and the MAPC Region Project Profile.
If you are interested in joining the grant project or want to learn more, contact Andrea Harris-Long, MAPC’s Manager of Housing & Neighborhood Development, at aharris-long@mapc.org.
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With less than one month to go from the end of this legislative session, it is crucial for your state legislators to hear from you on priority bills that will benefit the Greater Boston region.
In a post written by the MAPC Government Affairs team published on our Planning 101 blog yesterday, you can read about some of these priority bills, and how to access template letters to advocate for them to your legislators.
Read the Priority Bills Blog Post
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Questions? Please contact a member of MAPC's Government Affairs Team:
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Be sure to visit MAPC's Federal Funding Opportunities webpage often for information on grants as well. | |
New - Our Town Grant Program | |
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Application Deadline
*See note below
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Grant Authority
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
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*Application Deadlines:
- Part One Application: August 1, 2024 (11:59 p.m. ET)
- Part Two Application: August 8, 2024 (9:00 a.m. ET)
Description
This is a project-based grant funding opportunity. It is in support of local community projects focused on strengthening their community long-term, and incorporate arts, culture, and design into that projects. Learn more on the grant program's website.
Eligible Recipients
Visit the grant program's website to learn about the entities who are eligible to apply, and what the eligibility requirements those entities need to meet.
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New - Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program | |
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Application Deadline
November 21, 2024
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Grant Authority
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Description
A new grant program through the EPA and being funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the focus of this grant is to fund environmental and climate justice activities that will benefit communities most disadvantaged by climate change.
Eligible Recipients
Visit the "Is My Organization Eligible?" section of the grant program's webpage for more information.
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New - Inflation Reduction Act's (IRA) Direct Pay (Elective Pay) Program | |
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Application Deadline
Not applicable
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Grant Authority
Federal Government
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Description
An opportunity for communities to take advantage of of the Inflation Reduction's Act (IRA) Direct Pay Program - a chance to claim clean energy tax credits.
Direct Pay, also known as Elective Pay is an Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) provision that provides entities such as local governments, states, nonprofits, Tribes, and territories the opportunity to apply for clean energy tax credits for clean energy projects.
You can find many resources on MAPC's Federal Funding Opportunities webpage. This includes a recording of an informational webinar about how communities can take advantage of this opportunity, that MAPC hosted with a panel of experts on June 14, 2024.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is hosting office hours to answer pre-filing registration questions.
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July 17, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Register
- July 31, 2024 | 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. Register
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MAPC's Technical Assistance
If your municipality is interested in applying for federal funding, but lacks staff capacity, please contact us. Grant Assistance Program (GAP) funding could allow you to seek assistance from knowledgeable Regional Planning Agency (RPA) staff, which can also lead to more competitive regional and multi-municipal applications, increasing the likelihood of receiving funding.
For inquiries or questions contact Norman Abbott (nabbott@mapc.org).
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*New* MAPC Tools, Resources, and Opportunities to Participate | |
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MAPC Newsletters Webpage
MAPC has several different newsletters, each focusing on different areas and topics relevant to the Greater Boston Region.
Now there is a page on the MAPC website where you can:
- Learn more about each MAPC newsletter
- Find current and past issues (2024) of each newsletter
- Subscribe to the all of the newsletters, or to the ones that you want to
Access the Newsletters Webpage
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Cool Roofs
We have a new page on our website dedicated to providing municipalities with information on opportunities and resources focused on cool roofs as a low-cost, short-term strategy for helping communities reach their climate goals.
Metro Mayors communities (Arlington, Boston, Braintree, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Quincy, Revere, Somerville, Watertown, and Winthrop) can use MAPC's new Cool Roofs Suitability Tool to get an understanding of roofs within their communities that could be feasible for cool roofs.
Visit the Cool Roofs Webpage | Access the Cool Roofs Suitability Tool
Photo Credit: AdobeStock_224202625
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Revere Walk, Bike, and Roll Plan Community Survey
Do you live in Revere? Input from you, your friends, family, and neighbors in Revere is an important part of informing the community-focused Walk, Bike, and Roll Plan. Hearing directly from the Revere community will help ensure the plan put forward creates an equitable, enjoyable, and safe city for walking, biking, and rolling. Deadline to complete the survey is July 26.
Take the Community Survey | Learn More About this Project
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Reading Arts and Culture Plan Community Survey
Reading and MAPC are requesting input from Reading residents to help inform the new arts and culture plan that is being developed.
Through this survey, we invite your perspectives and ideas on:
- Your participation in Reading's arts and culture
- Reading's existing arts and cultural assets
- The opportunities that exist for strengthening Reading's arts and cultural offerings.
The survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete.
The survey deadline is July 31, 2024.
Get More Information and Take the Survey | Visit the Project Webpage
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Recent MAPC's Planning 101 Blog Posts
Have you read some of our recent blog posts on a variety of topics? You can find links to some of them below, and you can find all of our blog posts at Planning 101.
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Housing costs so much to build. What if they did it on an assembly line?
Publication Date: June 26, 2024 | Source: The Boston Globe
“The US Department of Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday awarded the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and a consortium of local cities a $3 million grant to study the idea of bringing a modular housing plant — a factory, for housing — to Greater Boston.”
“’Modular is a promising technique,’ said MAPC executive director Marc Draisen. ‘And we are missing out because we don’t have a plant here.’”
Note: A subscription is required to access this article.
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What to know about the Mass. Senate's version of Gov. Healey's housing bill
Publication Date: June 26, 2024 | Source: WBUR
“Leah Robins, government affairs director at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, said the agency was excited to see the inclusionary zoning measure included in the Senate bill, after the House excluded it from their housing bond bill earlier this month.”
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Mass. electricity demand set to hit high mark for 2024
Publication Date: June 20, 2024 | Source: NBC10 Boston
"There is a chance for demand on the New England power grid to climb to about 23.9 gigawatts between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council said in an alert telling municipalities to reduce their consumption in the afternoon and evening to save money on their electric bills.”
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As Mass Save program approaches record $5 billion, qualms over who foots the bill
Publication Date: June 18, 2024 | Source: MassLive
“Brooks Winner, a senior clean energy specialist for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, wrote a blog post in late April asking, ‘Is the Mass Save price tag too big?’
‘We have lots of work to do when it comes to increasing energy efficiency and decarbonizing buildings, but the bigger Mass Save gets, the more money utilities charge their customers and the higher our energy bills get,’ Winner wrote.”
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Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars for these upcoming events, and we encourage you to check our online events calendar often for new and updated event postings.
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In-person Community Meeting: Wood Road Revitalization and Mixed-use Development Workshop
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cahill Auditorium (1 JFK Memorial Drive, Braintree)
Please join the Town of Braintree and MAPC for a highly engaging workshop to discuss and shape the preliminary vision and recommendations for the Wood Road Revitalization and Mixed-Use Development Initiative.
The workshop will bring together key stakeholders, local business owners, community members, and Braintree town officials for an evening of collaborative planning and insightful discussions, to help inform the project development plan.
For more information on this Initiative and how you can contribute, please visit the project webpage or contact Raul Gonzalez (rgonzalez@mapc.org).
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MPO Corner: News from our partner in transportation planning
The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is Boston’s regional transportation planning agency. MAPC is one of 22 voting MPO board members. Subscribe for updates and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X at @BostonRegionMPO.
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Submit your Feedback on FFYs 2024–28 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Amendment 10
The public comment period for Amendment 10 to the federal fiscal years (FFYs) 2024–28 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) began on Monday, June 24, 2024, and concludes on Monday, July 15, 2024. The MPO is expected to vote on the endorsement of the amendment in July.
Amendment 10 proposes changes to the 2024 Earmark Discretionary, Statewide Highway, and Transit Programs, including allocating grant funding for projects in Cambridge and Lynn, cost increases for two roadway projects in Cohasset, Scituate, and Somerville, the programming of 2024 Community Transit Grant vehicle awards, and the reallocation of Capital funding for MetroWest Regional Transit Authority projects.
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Website Administrator
Transportation Planner
Senior Transportation Planner
Manager of Data Management Group
Manager of Model Development
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Upcoming MPO Meetings:
Public attendance and comments are welcome at all MPO meetings and events. Visit the MPO’s website for more information. In addition, the MPO’s Regional Transportation Advisory Council typically meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 2:30 PM. Meeting dates and materials are available on the MPO meeting calendar. Submit questions and comments via the MPO’s feedback forms.
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Your monthly Metropolitan Area Planning Council newsletter. | |
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