January 11, 2007 - NAIOP Massachusetts, the Forum for Commercial Real Estate, filed eight bills to kick-off the new legislative session. The bills cover a wide range of issues and are designed to improve the business climate in Massachusetts.
“As we head into the new legislative session, we believe that now is a hopeful time for the Commonwealth,” said David Begelfer, CEO of NAIOP Massachusetts. “At the same time we recognize that significant barriers to economic growth exist and unless they are seriously addressed, the future of Massachusetts is at risk. We are optimistic that our legislation will help confront many of these obstacles to growth.”
The eight NAIOP bills would do the following:
- Coordinate the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) review processes
- Reform Chapter 40R to allow for more communities to be eligible for participation in the program
- Encourage brownfields redevelopment by providing liability protections for new owners of previously contaminated sites who clean up the site under strict timeframes
- Require the Secretary of Economic Development to provide input on the economic benefits of any regional transportation project before it is placed on the Commonwealth’s statewide transportation plan
- Eliminate the inflation factor in District Improvement Financing
- Reform the attendance requirements for Municipal Board hearings
- Consolidate the responsibility for Chapter 91 within the Department of Environmental Protection
- Create special development districts which allow municipalities to fund infrastructure costs when local and State resources are unavailable
In addition to the legislation listed above, NAIOP will continue to work on issues supporting economic development including high skilled talent pool, affordable “worker” housing, permitting, energy, transportation and a simplified regulatory process. For additional information on any of the bills listed above, please contact Tamara Small at small@naiopma.org
