Copper Mill 40B application on hold
Christopher Beland
Just because I promised that I would let y'all know the minute I heard any news...this came in a forward from MassHousing in response to Elaine dutifully following up with them:
...as of last week, review of this project is currently on hold, including the City's comment period. Once MassHousing resumes review, the comment period will be reinitiated with the City.
This raises a lot of questions, but that's all I know at the moment.
-B.
Denise Provost
Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org · https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC
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Christopher Beland
On Wed, 2026-02-04 at 14:58 +0000, Denise Provost wrote:
The message is cryptic, and doesn't mention a time frame for public comments.
Is there any suggestion in the message to Elaine that "City's comment period" means not just comment the city's government, but city residents as well?
Cryptic, indeed!
The full message was simply this:
For clarification, at the project eligibility stage, any requests for extensions to the 30-day comment period should be coordinated with city officials and submitted via email to my attention at MassHousing. However, please note that as of last week, review of this project is currently on hold, including the City's comment period. Once MassHousing resumes review, the comment period will be reinitiated with the City.
For context, the official 40B handbook says:
Local Comment Period
After receiving a PE application, the Subsidizing Agency notifies the Chief Elected Official and schedules a site visit. The notification letter starts the clock for a 30-day comment period for the city or town. At this point, the Chief Elected Official should post the notice and PE application on the community’s website and seek comments from municipal boards and departments. Making the documents available on the city or town website will ensure that interested residents can have access to the information so they can comment if they wish.
Although it may not be possible to coordinate the comments process, the Chief Elected Official should try to act as a clearinghouse for comments on the PE application. The comment period provides an opportunity for elected officials to lead a constructive conversation about Chapter 40B and organize a coherent response for the community. It is important to remember that Subsidizing Agencies want to encourage low- and moderate-income housing development, so it is unrealistic to expect them to issue a denial simply because the community objects to a proposed development.
-B.
Denise Provost
-B.
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