Massachusetts Green Communities


East Boston’s Maverick Landing consists of 411 LEED-certified, mixed-income housing units that feature efficient lighting, appliances, and photovoltaics.

The Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) introduces a dynamic new partnership backed by $8.5 million in funding from the Renewable Energy Trust that will lead to green affordable housing in the Commonwealth.

MTC and MassHousing have teamed up with Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. (Enterprise) to spur the construction of up to 1,000 new Commonwealth affordable housing units. The program will operate under the title of Massachusetts Green Communities™. 

MassHousing will make awards for eligible projects to build green, healthy homes. Funding opportunities will include:

  • up to $30,000 for feasibility studies
  • up to $50,000 for renewable energy system design
  • up to $500,000 for renewable energy system installation

Through demonstration projects, increased outreach and strategic partnerships, MTC will fund healthier, higher quality places for citizens to live. As a direct result of this partnership, Enterprise is planning to invest up to $100 million in green housing in Massachusetts, and every development using MTC construction funds will meet or exceed EnergyStar standards.  Enterprise offers:

  • Green Grants: To assist in planning, designing and building green communities
  • Low-Interest Loans: For predevelopment, site acquisition, and construction
  • LIHTC Equity Investments: To fund rehabilitation and construction

Contact information:
Decia Goodwin
MassHousing
One Beacon Street
Boston, MA. 02108
dgoodwin@masshousing.com
(617) 854-1703

Dana L. Bourland
The Enterprise Foundation
10227 Wincopin Circle, Suite 500
Columbia, MD 21044
(410) 772-2516
dbourland@enterprisefoundation.org

Benefits 

  • Builds green affordable housing that will improve and enhance the overall quality of life in Massachusetts
  • Reduces strain on the electricity grid by generating local, clean energy from the sun and wind
  • Strengthens the growing trend in the development community to bring “green” design (e.g., siting the building to make maximum use of daylight, using recycled materials) and renewable technologies into the mainstream 
East Boston’s Maverick Landing is an example of partnerships at work. MTC, the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), Trinity Financial, Inc., and several other organizations helped to create 411 mixed-income housing units. A unique feature of the development is its focus on green building and energy efficiency elements, including efficient lighting, appliances, and structural elements and certification under the LEED Rating System, a national green building guideline. Through its Renewable Energy Trust grant, Maverick Landing features a 37 kilowatt solar array and a 75 kilowatt gas-fired cogenerator to provide a significant amount of the development’s electricity supply, as well as a solar hot water system. These elements were targeted following a feasibility study funded by MTC. Maverick Landing will serve to educate both the building industry and the community about the green building process, and serve as a model for future green affordable housing developments.

 

Massachusetts Green Communities is part of the national Green Communities initiative, a five-year, $555 million commitment to build more than 8,500 affordable homes that promote health; conserve energy and natural resources; and provide easy access to jobs, schools, and services. Enterprise created the national initiative in partnership with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Learn more by clicking on the Green Communities logo.

MassHousing is the state’s affordable housing bank. It lends money at rates below the conventional market to support rental and home ownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents of the Commonwealth. Learn more by clicking on the MassHousing logo.

CONTACT:
Raphael Herz
herz@masstech.org
508-870-0312 x1205