By Adam Swift
Chelsea was one of a number of local communities in the Greater Boston region to benefit from more than $440,000 to advance regional priorities in housing production, climate resilience, economic development, and culture thanks to the latest round of technical assistance funding from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).
MAPC, one of 13 regional planning agencies (RPAs) in the state, offers technical assistance grants each year that help advance the goals identified in Greater Boston’s regional land use and policy plan, MetroCommon2050. All 101 cities and towns in the MAPC region are encouraged each year to apply for the Technical Assistance Program (TAP), which helps municipalities take on critical work that they do not have the capacity to address on their own.
Chelsea’s share of the MAPC funds will be used in coordination with Revere to work on the North Suffolk Schools Zero Carbon Action Plan.
Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop are part of the North Suffolk Office of Resilience and Sustainability, said Chelsea City Manager Fidel Maltez.
“It is one of the biggest regionalization efforts we share with Winthrop and Revere,” said Maltez.
The office has two full-time employees, one working out of Revere and one out of Chelsea, who have been focusing on grant opportunities like the one awarded by MAPC.
“They have been pursuing grants to really implement these changes in the community,” said Maltez. “The goal is to get us to shovel-ready projects so we can apply for more grant funding.”
Many Massachusetts communities have limited professional planning capacity to help shape their future economic development, transportation, housing, green spaces, and municipal facilities, according to MAPC. RPAs help with these essential tasks – everything from updating stormwater guidelines and managing data to preparing economic development plans. The TAP and most of RPAs’ work is primarily funded through District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) – dollars the Legislature and Governor appropriate annually and are distributed to all RPAs, including MAPC.
“A larger portion of this year’s TAP grants support projects that cross municipal lines,” said MAPC Executive Director Marc Draisen. “We are very glad to see that the critical DLTA funding from Beacon Hill is being used to take action on long-term regional goals and bring communities together across municipal lines.”
The initial set of TAP-funded projects for FY25 supports cities and towns collaborating to advance program priorities and regional goals