Eligibility Forms for the 2022 Round of Community Preservation Act Funding are Now Available

These funds are available for Open Space, Historic Resources, Recreational Land and Community Housing 

The City of Gloucester is now accepting applications for the 2022 Community Preservation Act (CPA)  round of funding. Eligibility forms must be submitted by March 8, with full applications due May 3.  

Eligibility forms and more information can be found online at the City’s website:  https://gloucester-ma.gov/103/Community-Preservation-Committee 

The CPA is a Massachusetts state law (M.G.L. c. 44B) that allows communities to adopt a property tax  surcharge of up to 3%, the revenues from which are matched by State funds. By popular vote in the fall  of 2008, the citizens of Gloucester adopted a 1% surcharge to be spent in accordance with the  provisions of the CPA. Since then Gloucester has funded dozens of deserving projects that otherwise  would not have been able to go forward. 

CPA funds can be used for one of four purposes: 

o Acquire, create, and preserve open space; and rehabilitate and restore open space if acquired or  created with CPA funds 

o Acquire, preserve, rehabilitate, and restore historic resources 

o Acquire, create, and preserve land for recreation use; and rehabilitate and restore land for  recreational use 

o Acquire, create, preserve, and support community housing; and rehabilitate and restore  community housing acquired or created with CPA funds 

A nine-member Community Preservation Committee (CPC) of Gloucester citizens was established in  accordance with the terms of the Act. The CPC consists of four members at-large and one representative  each from the Historic Commission, the Conservation Commission, the Housing Authority, the Planning  Board, and Open Space & Recreation. 

The mission of the CPC is to study the needs of the City of Gloucester in cooperation with various City  boards, departments, organizations, and citizens and to solicit and evaluate proposals for the use of  Community Preservation Act funds for the maximum benefit to the City of Gloucester. The CPC will  recommend to the City Council those projects which it deems will best achieve the purpose of the  Community Preservation Act legislation in the areas of open space, historic preservation, affordable  housing, and recreation.