Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
Gov. Maura Healey (left) and MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay announce the Commercial Conversion Initiative in Worcester on Mar. 15. (Photo courtesy Joshua Qualls/Governor’s Press Office)
On March 15, Gov. Maura Healey announced the creation of a Commercial Conversion Initiative aimed at accelerating housing production by converting vacant and underutilized commercial properties.
The program, based at MassHousing, would be funded by her Affordable Homes Act (H. 4138). MassHousing has allocated up to $1 million in planning funds for technical assistance under the program.
Municipalities would work with the program to identify viable commercial properties and conduct floor plan and feasibility studies. The program would provide technical and planning assistance to help more properties move through the planning process quickly.
The program would also assist in lowering regulatory barriers to conversion, creating development-ready sites that may then take advantage of other financing resources, such as the Housing Development Incentive Program, and leverage other funding mechanisms in the Affordable Homes Act.
Healey filed her $4 billion Affordable Homes Act last October. The bond bill is a mix of spending, policy and programmatic actions. The Joint Committee on Housing held a hearing on the bill in January, and it has been referred to the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets.