State Announces Land Use Planning Assistance Grants

02:00PM / Tuesday, October 27, 2020Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito Administration announced $1,152,500 in grants for 29 projects to improve municipal land use planning and development through the Planning Assistance Grant Program.

Through this program, the Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) provides municipalities funding to undertake public processes and hire technical expertise to improve their land-use practices, diversify housing choices, mitigate and prepare for climate change impacts, and conserve and sustainably develop land.

"Our Administration is committed to helping communities build more housing while protecting natural resources and reducing greenhouse gas emissions," Governor Charlie Baker said. "These grants help municipalities update their zoning and other land-use regulations to make the Commonwealth a more resilient, sustainable and affordable place to live and raise a family."

The Planning Assistance Grant Program is part of an effort to encourage municipalities to implement land-use regulations that are consistent with the Baker Administration's land conservation and development objectives including reduction of land, energy, and natural resource consumption, provision of sufficient and diverse housing, and mitigation of and preparation for climate change. The program is also part of the technical assistance offered to communities in support of the Baker-Polito Administration's Housing Choice Initiative.

"Local zoning, subdivision, and other land-use regulations provide the framework for future development, and these grants help cities and towns achieve a better result," EEA Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said. "Under the administration's leadership, we are helping communities update and enhance their regulations so that they can grow in ways that reduce land, natural resource, and energy consumption."

The grants are awarded to the Commonwealth's municipalities and Regional Planning Agencies acting on their behalf to support their efforts to plan, regulate, and act to conserve and develop land consistent with the Massachusetts' Sustainable Development Principles.

The following communities received grants:

Applicant	Municipality	Project	Grant Award
Adams	Adams	Housing Package: 40R, ADU, Housing Choice Zoning Measures, plus Home Occupations	$45,000
Athol	Athol	Downtown Rezoning	$40,000
Barre	Barre	Natural Resource Protection, Flexible Frontage, & ADU Zoning Amendments	$6,375
Beverly	Beverly	ADU Ordinance	$45,000
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Boylston	Master Plan: Housing, Land Use, & Econ. Dev. Elements	$40,000
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Hopedale	Master Plan: Natural & Cultural Resources & Open Space & Recreation elements plus zoning review	$32,500
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Mendon	Master Plan: Housing, Land Use, & Econ. Dev. Elements	$33,000
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Rutland	Master Plan: Housing, Land Use, & Econ. Dev. Elements	$40,000
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Spencer	Housing Production Plan	$15,875
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	Uxbridge	Reimagining Main Street	$40,000
Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC)	CMRPC Region	Land Use for Regional Resilience	$55,000
Easthampton	Easthampton	Parking Utilization Study; Sale/Reuse of 3 municipal buildings	$21,000
Great Barrington	Great Barrington	Food System Plan for Climate Resilience	$10,000
Hull	Hull	Housing Production Plan	$27,050
Lincoln	Lincoln	Equitable TOD Zoning	$28,500
Manchester by the Sea	Manchester by the Sea	40R Zoning	$23,000
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)	Ashland, Framingham, Natick	Comprehensive Community Climate Accounting	$130,000
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)	Gloucester & Winthrop	Climate Zoning for Coastal Communities	$45,300
Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)	Belmont, Ipswich, Marblehead & Peabody	Net Zero Planning in Communities with Municipal Light Plants	$150,000
Maynard	Maynard	Housing Production Plan Update	$20,500
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC)	Hubbardston	Master Plan: Implementation Chapter	$18,000
Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC)	Sterling	Master Plan: Historical & Cultural Resources, Services & Facilities, & Land Use Elements	$40,000
New Bedford	New Bedford	Form Based Code, Solar Zoning, & Use Table Update	$44,000
Northampton	Northampton	Community & Resilience Hub	$45,000
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC)	Easthampton, Hadley, Ludlow, and S. Hadley	Land Development & Management in the Pioneer Valley after COVID 19	$43,000
Salem	Salem	Mixed Use Zoning for the Bridge Street Neck	$21,400
Ware	Ware	West St. Corridor Study	$30,000
Wenham	Wenham	Audit & Update Subdivision Regulations	$18,000
West Brookfield	West Brookfield	Comprehensive Zoning Re-write	$45,000

"The Planning Assistance Grant Program provides towns an opportunity to implement sustainability initiatives that seek to improve resilience to climate change, and I am thrilled that the town of Great Barrington will be receiving support," State Representative Smitty Pignatelli, House Chair of the Joint Committee on the Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, said. "Thank you to the Baker-Polito Administration for all of their efforts to not only improve climate emissions but also to support affordability, accessibility, and cost savings for residents across the Commonwealth."

The administration's Housing Choice Initiative, which was announced in December 2017, is a package of technical assistance for communities, the Housing Choice Communities (HCC) designation, new capital grant funding, and pending legislation, An Act to Promote Housing Choices. This initiative, and its goal to produce 135,000 new units of housing by 2025, complements the investments made by the Department of Housing and Community Development in affordable housing production across the state, and supports local government actions to meet the demands of a growing and aging population in Massachusetts.

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Two Men Found Guilty of Marijuana Trafficking

01:23PM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Monday, May 6, Yebin Mai, 32 of Staten Island, NY and Dem Wu, age 52 of Staten Island, NY, were found guilty by jury of their peers in Berkshire Superior Court.

Yebin Mai was found guilty of two charges: Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds and Witness Intimidation. Dem Wu was found guilty of Marijuana Trafficking in 100 pounds or more but less than 2,000 pounds.

According to a report, on July 30, 2020, State Police responded to a request for assistance from the Eversource Electric Company. The emergency dispatcher stated that two Eversource linemen were attempting to fix an electrical problem when they had a confrontation with individuals at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy. The residence belonged to Bin Huang after he purchased it in 2017 for $200,000 cash.

When state troopers arrived, the linemen stated that they responded to a report from a resident at 72 Jackson Road, Savoy claiming that power was fluctuating. When the linemen arrived at the house, they observed severely damaged wires and insulators leading from the roadside poles to the residence. When the Eversource linemen approached the house a man came out to meet them. The man, later identified as Yebin Mai, spoke limited English; therefore, communication between the Eversource linemen and resident became difficult. The linemen tried to explain that they would need to turn the power off to conduct a safety check of the electric meter and surrounding electrical connections. Mai became agitated. He handed the linemen an envelope filled with money later determined to be $600. The linemen attempted to return the envelope multiple times, but Mai would not take it. The linemen decided to leave the property. They called the police and waited for them to arrive, stated a report.

A trooper and Eversource supervisor arrived on the road at the end of 72 Jackson Road's driveway. A short time later, Mai drove down the driveway and attempted to leave in a pick-up truck with New York plates. There were two other passengers in the truck, including Dem Wu.

The trooper instructed Mai to stop and turn off the truck which he obeyed. All the individuals returned to the residence so the linemen could complete their inspection.

In a police report, the following items were observed at and around the house:

4 separate electrical meters in poorly constructed boxes on the side of the house
Some melted wires and metal around the meter boxes (believed to be due to an excessive amount of energy being drawn through the wires)
Evidence of a small fire around one of the meter boxes
A smell of fresh grown marijuana (which grew once power was cut to the house and fans in the residence stopped running)
The sound of multiple fans inside the residence with no visible air ventilation system on the outside of the house
Windows with curtains drawn and boarded shut
A backyard covered in debris from a renovation, green planning pots, and large florescent light fixtures
Ring door cameras
A small path in the woods that ended in a pile of used potting soil and roots and stalks of freshly harvested marijuana plants

Additionally, Eversource reported that the monthly electric bill for 72 Jackson Road was approximately $10,000 per month, much higher than the average homeowner's bill.

The individuals on the property were questioned and ultimately allowed to leave. On July 31, 2020, Massachusetts State Police, including the State Police Detective Unit assigned to the District Attorney's Office, and a member of the DEA arrived at 72 Jackson Road to execute a search warrant.

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