Last week, Governor Healey visited Revere to unveil her proposal to streamline environmental regulations for qualified housing projects. If implemented, this permitting reform package could represent the most significant reduction of time and cost for development in Gateway Cities in a generation.
As Lt. Governor Driscoll told Gateway City leaders in an advance briefing, she hopes that 70% of housing projects will get through Massachusetts Environmental Act (MEPA) review in 30 days, rather than the current 12-18 month time period. The changes would particularly benefit small- and medium-sized projects in already developed areas served by existing infrastructure—just the kinds of infill projects most critical to stitching together the fabric of our cities.
In addition, for the last several years, our communities have struggled to get their urban renewal plans approved by the state. Changes made in the 2021 climate act to promote environmental justice inadvertently clogged the works for reviewing these plans, which are a key tool for revitalizing neighborhoods with blighted and underutilized properties.
The administration’s proposal also addresses this concern, highlighted repeatedly by the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, with two potential solutions: either through a special review procedure, or by redefining urban renewal plans to only require submission of a simple Environmental Notification Form (ENF). We strongly prefer the second option, since it would return the review process to the pre-2021 norm.
We thank and applaud Governor Healey and her leadership team, particularly Housing Secretary Augustus and Environmental Affairs Secretary Tepper, for taking decisive action on this issue.
The proposal must go through a public comment period between now and October 31, 2025, before it can be adopted. We encourage Gateway City leaders to review these materials:
- Proposed MEPA regulations with text and background material
- Summary background document
We at the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute are still analyzing the fine print of the text. We will be consulting with our network of municipal leaders as we prepare our comments. Please feel free to reach out to me at aleroux@massinc.org to discuss further.