, Author at PPRI

Summit Estates (Westminster, MA)

Under contract with MassHousing Partnership (MHP), PPRI is working with the Westminster Zoning Board of Appeals to review a 40B affordable housing development. The project proposes 108 units of housing in five buildings, located on Sargent Road.

Burbank Woods (Sutton, MA)

PPRI is working with the Zoning Board in the town of Sutton, MA to review a proposed 16-unit subdivision. The project is proposed under the special provisions of state’s “Chapter 40B” program to encourage and allow the development of affordable housing.

PPRI donates to Support Homeless Prevention

Thanks for a banner year of excellent work (and careful management of expenses), our board was delighted to vote to donate $4,000 in surplus reserves to support the work on Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program (BHCHP) and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

PPRI Complete “MBTA/3A” Multifamily Zoning Projects

Working under a technical assistance contract with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and MassHousing Partnership, PPRI recently completed studies and education work to assist five Massachusetts communities achieve compliance under the new “MBTA/3A” multifamily housing requirements.

Projects were completed in Halifax, Holbrook, Medford, Topsfield, and Wakefield.

Planning for “MBTA/3A Multifamily Housing” (Topsfield, MA)

Under a statewide technical assistance contract, PPRI worked with planners in the town of Topsfield, MA to develop, analyze, and implement new zoning for “by-right” multifamily housing, consistent with the state’s “MBTA 3A Multifamily Zoning” requirements (Section 3A of MGL c. 40A).

The proposed zoning bylaw, which included a new 15.8 acre overlay district capable of supporting up to 118 units of new by-right multifamily housing, was approved in Spring, 2024 by more than two-thirds of the voters.

Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge Evaluation Report (New Rochelle, NY)

Working with Delivery Associates, Inc., PPRI completed a major, three-year evaluation report for the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge, analyzing a $1M+ grant to the City of New Rochelle, NY.

The project, entitled “New Rochelle Virtual Reality (NRVR), field-tested a variety of emerging high-tech VR tools for citizen engagement around economic development planning for the city.

Comprehensive Plan (Hallowell, ME)

Working with Levine Planning Strategies, PPRI assisted the Town of Hallowell, Maine in updating their Comprehensive Plan under the requirements of the state’s Growth Management Act. The final, approved plan included updated demographic and economic data, housing projections, surveys of environmental and cultural resources, and detailed recommendations to steer development in the town in the coming decades.

Local Rapid Recovery Planning (Winchester, MA)

Working under contract with the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development, PPRI assisted planners, local businesses, and residents in Winchester, MA to draft and adopt a “Local Rapid Recovery Plan” to build back stronger after the recent pandemic.

The plan includes detailed analysis of the local business districts, with special attention to the effects of the pandemic, along with a wide range of concrete strategies to encourage and support local economic development.

Planning for Covid Recovery (Newburyport, MA)

Working under contract with the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development, PPRI assisted planners, local businesses, and residents in Newburyport, MA to draft and adopt a “Local Rapid Recovery Plan” to build back stronger after the recent pandemic.

Peer-Evaluation for Active Learning (ALNAP/USAID)

Working with the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP), PPRI’s Executive Director Ezra Haber Glenn conducted a peer-review of a comprehensive report on “Stepping Back: Understanding Cities and Their Systems.”

The report, funded by USAID, provided a framework for philanthropic, relief, international development, and humanitarian aid organizations to use to more effectively engage with the neighborhoods and communities in an increasingly urbanized world.