Planning

Fy22 Application Cycle has begun

The FY22 Application Cycle began on Thursday, September 9th with the Application Technical Workshop (Portuguese, Spanish) at the New Bedford Free Public Library Main Branch.  All organizations, city departments, and individuals interested in applying for funding were strongly encouraged to attend this workshop.  Complete application instructions are included in the FY22 CPA PLAN & FY21 ANNUAL REPORT.

Step I – Eligibility Determination Forms were due on October 1, 2021 by noon. The CPC received and reviewed twenty-two project Eligibility Determination Forms.  Twenty projects were determined to be eligible under CPA guidelines.  (Determination of eligibility does not guarantee CPA funding will be recommended for a project.) Those eligible projects were invited to submit the Step II – Project Application.

If a project did not submit a Step I – Eligibility Determination Form, a Step II – Project Application cannot be submitted and, if submitted, will not be reviewed.

Step II – Project Applications were due on November 12, 2021 by noon.  Seventeen applications were received for the CPC’s consideration.  Submitted FY22 applications are available for public review.

Public Presentations – All applicants were invited to present their project before the CPC at a series of Zoom meetings in January 2022.  The public was invited to attend and provide comment.

CPC Recommendations to City Council – On February 10, 2022, the CPC voted to recommend sixteen projects totaling $1.6 million in CPA funds to the City Council for their review and vote.  City Council can approve a recommendation as submitted; reduce the amount of a recommended award amount; or reject a recommendation. The City Council cannot add funds to a recommended amount nor add a project not recommended for funding by the CPC. Should the Council vote to not recommend a project or reduce the recommended award, the CPC has the opportunity to respond prior to the Council’s final vote on the project.  The CPC will submit the recommendations to the Council for consideration in early March.  The FY22 CPA Recommendations to City Council may be viewed here.

HAVE A CPA PROJECT IDEA?

Organizations, city departments, and individuals interested in applying for funding in the FY23 cycle (begins September 2022) are encouraged to review the FY22 APPLICATION TECHNICAL WORKSHOP POWERPOINT PRESENTATION and the FY22 CPA PLAN & FY21 ANNUAL REPORT to learn more about the process. The FY23 Plan & FY22 Annual Report will be posted in August 2022.

If you have any questions regarding CPA, your project’s eligibility, or wish to be included on our email list, please email Jessica Bailey, CPA Coordinator, at CPA@NewBedford-MA.gov

What is CPA?

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts state law (MGL Ch. 44B) designed to help Massachusetts towns and cities plan for sustainable growth and provide funds to achieve their community preservation goals. CPA allows participating cities and towns to adopt a real estate tax surcharge of up to 3% to raise funds, creating a local, dedicated fund. CPA helps communities preserve open space and historic resources; create community housing; and develop outdoor recreational facilities.  CPA funds can be matched by other sources, leveraging additional funding for projects benefiting the city. To date, over $6.9 million in additional funding has been received by projects funded by New Bedford CPA.

New Bedford voters approved CPA in November 2014 and adopted a 1.5% surcharge.  These funds are matched annually by the state’s Community Preservation Trust Fund.

Community Preservation Committee

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) oversees the implementation of the CPA in New Bedford. It is responsible for assessing the community preservation needs of the city; developing and maintaining the community preservation plan which establishes the city’s preservation priorities; preparing an annual budget for City Council; and making project recommendations to City Council after an extensive application process.

Janine da Silva, Chair

Historical Commission

Melissa Chester-Letendre, Clerk

General Public

Christopher Amaral

General Public

CPA plan

The CPA Plan is a study of the needs, possibilities, and resources of New Bedford regarding community preservation and establishes the CPC’s annual priorities for funding projects.  The plan includes the application instructions and documents for applying for funding.  In addition, it contains the previous fiscal year’s Annual Report.

FY22 CPA PLAN & FY21 ANNUAL REPORT

FY21 CPA PLAN & FY20 ANNUAL REPORT

FY20 CPA PLAN & FY19 ANNUAL REPORT

FY19 CPA PLAN & FY 18 ANNUAL REPORT

For CPA information or questions, email CPA@NewBedford-MA.gov