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Smart Growth-Smart
Energy
Technical Assistance Grant Program
Program Overview
The Smart Growth-Smart Energy Technical Assistance Grant Program,
offered by the Executive
Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), provides
grants to communities to help them incorporate the Commonwealth's
Sustainable
Development Principles into local development and recreation
projects.
A second funding goal is to support city and town efforts
to enact local or regional measures and plans that help increase
municipal scores on the state's Commonwealth
Capital (CC) application that is part of the scoring for
many state grant and loan programs. These programs include
EEA's Self-Help
and Urban
Self-Help grants as well as several programs within EEA's
agencies, such as the State
Revolving Fund (DEP), Drinking
Water Supply Protection (DEP), and Coastal
Pollution Remediation (CZM).
Examples of Eligible Activities:
Completion of a brownfields inventory or site planning;
Implementation of stormwater BMPs;
Completion of Open
Space Residential Design bylaws/ordinances;
Implementation of Low
Impact Development (LID) bylaws/ordinances; and
Design of green buildings.
Match: A local match of 25% of state funds is required.
Communities interested in working on similar issues are
encouraged to apply together. Applications from regional
planning agencies will need an endorsement letter from any
communities that are included in their application.
Evaluation Criteria: Evaluation criteria have a
preference for activities that will:
Support the implementation of capital projects such as site
specific planning, engineering, and related activities necessary
to increase energy efficiency or renewable energy facilities;
Improve sustainable development practices, including innovative
and transferable activities;
Realize a commitment from a community's Commonwealth
Capital application;
Implement a specific Community Development or Master Plan
action; and/or
Utilize a model bylaw from the Massachusetts
Smart Growth-Smart Energy Toolkit.
For more information, please contact Kurt Gaertner by email
at: kurt.gaertner@state.ma.us
or (617) 626-1154.
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