Tag: Ma Smart Growth

Homes for Profit: Speculation and Investment | research Map from Metropolitan Area Planning Council #MAPC

Posted on by Catherine

Earlier this month, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) announced the release of a new interactive map, MAPC’s Homes for Profit: Speculation and Investment, showcasing some of their multi year research specific to housing and investment in Greater Boston.

Check out MAPC Homes for Profit map here https://homesforprofit.mapc.org/

Check out MAPC Housing Submarkets here

(You can zoom in to Gloucester and greater Cape Ann or all of the North Shore.)

Today, to mark the public release, MAPC hosted a panel featuring Angie Liou, Executive Dir. Asian Community Development Corp; Brian An, Dir. Public Policy Georgia Tech; Katie MCann, Rent Control Campaign Coordinator, City Life/Vida Urbana; and Tim Reardon, Chief of Data & Research, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, a newly established cabinet level area in Gov. Healy administration. Prior to taking that position, Reardon had led the data and research for MAPC.

Moderators announced at the outset that there were 168 participants on the Zoom meeting including elected city officials– Sue Moran, Falmouth; Steve Owens, Watertown; Rita Mendes, Brockton; and Liz Breadon Alston-Brighton, Boston City Council–, city staff from multiple towns too many to name, and partner/organizations.

Before introducing the panelists and moderator, MAPC’s Jessie Partridge Guerrero gave a quick overview about the report findings and how MAPC wanted to focus solely on the speculation challenge in this particular report. The panelists spoke briefly about their own areas of expertise and to a one confirmed “not surprised” regarding the report findings. As they engaged in a guided discussion centered on the report, the panelists’ approaches and experiences were not all the same, nor were the comments by attendees.

Closer to home, the city of Gloucester has worked with MAPC on several projects. Some dating back to 2011 involved research that is relevant to the housing discussions since 2017–a series I wrote about and shared on GMG. You may have participated in some of the meetings 10+ years ago held at City Hall. I’ll add in some of those links below and one to the MAPC zoom meeting today. I still have notes from all the feedback received when I served on some panels.

It’s great to see some of that MAPC data and mapping available to the public in a format similar to MEMA- MA power outage map.

resources from MAPC Zoom meeting 11/30/2023

Who Owns America? A Methodology for Identifying Landlords’ Ownership Scale and the Implications for Targeted Code Enforcement

Abstract
Scholars and practitioners are increasingly interested in understanding who owns real estate in communities and resultant implications for targeted planning approaches. Yet, practitioners lack an efficient and comprehensive methodology to assess landlords’ ownership scale, namely how many properties they own in a given geographic area.

Brian An touched on AI tools to help with research. One GT paper he cited ,https://repository.gatech.edu/entities/publication/472788f9-a5e6-4d9b-8238-422d20333bcb

MAPC moderators mentioned the Boston Globe spotlight series and the Boston Globe articles on Somerville, https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/09/25/metro/somerville-tenants-rally-over-soaring-rents-gentrification-green-line-extension-corridor

PDF from the new MAPC research site

2023-nov.-30.-mapc-panel.-pdf-homes-for-profit-executive-summaryDownload

Testifying at the State House in support of Great Neighborhoods Bill- artists, seniors, housing

Posted on by Catherine

On May 2nd I joined people across the state who were asked to testify before the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government in support of the Great Neighborhoods Bill. Partners for the bill include Ma Smart Growth, The Trustees of Reservations, Mass Audubon, and MAPC. I was speaking about artists, seniors and live/work space, accessory apartments and multi family housing. I’ve never testified at the State House before, though I’ve been there often for events and art visits. The last time I went to the State House was when I went with Fred Bodin. This day was a long hearing, so much so it required a move to continue. The entire building was brimming with impressive hearings. It was fascinating to hear the testimonies and see the committee members in action. They don’t want anyone leaving MA!

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May 2

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Learn more

Continue reading “Testifying at the State House in support of Great Neighborhoods Bill- artists, seniors, housing” →

Reimagining Railroad and Maplewood and … MEETING #2

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Cat Ryan submits-

Reimagining Railroad and Maplewood and … MEETING #2

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Gloucester Community Development / Metropolitan Planning Area Council

Hey Joey,

Back in March, the City of Gloucester’s Community Development partnered with the Metropolitan Planning Area Council (MAPC) to host the first in a series of 3 discussions about Gloucester’s railroad station and the surrounding area.  As a reminder, these interactive meetings have an extra special focus on the Railroad and Maplewood Avenue and train station area. Our input will inform the process, and there’s funding lined up.

Residents, commuters, bikers, pedestrian walking—what do you think?

Please come for some preliminary findings and recommendations at the second meeting THIS COMING MONDAY June 23, 2014, from 6PM-8PM at Kyrouz Auditorium in City Hall.

For the Railroad discussions, send in ideas and comments and/or sign up for updates on any future meetings with:

Eric Halvorsen ehalvorsen@mapc.org

Gregg Cademartori gcademartori@gloucester-ma.gov

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Reimagining Railroad Meeting at City Hall

Posted on by Joey Ciaramitaro

Reimagining Railroad and Maplewood and …

Gloucester Community Development / Metropolitan Planning Area Council

Catt Ryan submits-

Hey Joey,

Last night, Community Development partnered with the Metropolitan Planning Area Council (MAPC) to host the first in a series of discussions about Gloucester’s railroad station and the surrounding area.  Along with all the other robust planning that is ever constant, this interactive meeting was an extra special focus on what transit oriented attention and development might mean for Gloucester. Gloucester Planning Director, Gregg Cademartori, gave a great introduction.

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Eric Halvorsen introduced the team from MAPC, which helps town generally within the wide swath of I-95. I met Eric last fall  at a MA Smart Growth event he was part of. It featured Fred Kent of Project for Public Space and one of our site walks that day considered spaces and transit areas at Harvard. Halvorsen explained that there are 280 or so transit stops in Massachusetts. He enthusiastically gushed, “They are precious and finite”– and therefore merit our attention. These transit hubs account for 5% of the geography of the state, and cover 37% of the jobs. The state considers Gloucester’s railroad station as an ‘urban gateway’, one of 10 types of transit stop categories they’ve identified in MA.  Salem, Beverly and Haverhill are other examples of this urban gateway category.

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The evening ended with three tables of break out discussions. Topics swirled, and questions prompted responses and exchanges. Connections to other areas downtown were mentioned, Gloucester’s past, and the railroad station area as a gateway. We wondered together what people thought it might be like soon and many, many years from now.  Creative ideas and similar words and phrases oscillated throughout Kyrouz like air-popped kernels: emphasis on sidewalks, signage, streets (Washington Street, Maplewood, Prospect, Railroad Avenue, Dale and Pleasant), seniors, bike rentals, safety, young families, terms such as “soft and hardscaping”, public space, shade, paving one side (like the HarborWalk), green energy, beach buggies, maker spaces, lighting, artists and other professionals, trees,  wayfinding, future businesses, pedicabs, mixed use, residences, single stories, design, the stores folks value now, the Jeff Weaver mural, the supermarket, Dunkin Donuts, the restaurants.

Community Development and MAPC will share results from these conversations and offer their take, research and observation. Our input will inform the process,  and there’s funding queued up.

There will be two more public meetings and they’re sure to be interesting … make sure you come if you can for the next ones, and for any that Community Development organizes.

For the Railroad discussions, send in ideas and comments and/or sign up for updates on any future meetings with:

Eric Halvorsen ehalvorsen@mapc.org

Gregg Cademartori gcademartori@gloucester-ma.gov

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