The administration of Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey rolled out its five-year Capital Investment Plan (CIP) in late June, which called for $14 billion in spending with a focus on investments in roads, housing, economic development and climate projects.
The CIP also features $262 million toward the federal government's efforts to replace the Bourne and Sagamore bridges to Cape Cod, ultimately ramping up to a $700 million long-term state commitment. Funds from Washington to build the projects are still being pursued.
Also included in the new plan is funding for a new courthouse to replace the current, though outdated structure in Springfield, and another $307 million to relocate the old Shattuck Hospital in Jamaica Plain to the East Newton Pavilion in Boston's South End.
Healey's initiative is slightly higher than that proposed by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2022, which laid out a blueprint for close to $13.9 billion in total state bond cap spending, the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise reported.
"Our [CIP] includes major investments that are designed to make Massachusetts more affordable, competitive, and equitable for everyone," Healey said in a statement.
"It starts with addressing the high cost of housing by investing historic levels of funding into housing development, preservation and rehabilitation, and creating HousingWorks, a new program dedicated to expanding affordable housing. It also moves us forward on our climate and transportation goals, underscoring the important role that electrification plays in protecting our environment and improving public transportation services.
"We're also expanding support for tried-and-true economic development programs and dedicating crucial resources to updating infrastructure across the state."
Healy's plan commits $2.9 billion in total capital funding for the fiscal year that began July 1, with $1.14 billion earmarked for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), $614 million to the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance, and $308 million set aside for the new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
Addressing Housing Needs Top Priority
The Fitchburg news source noted that the CIP allocates $1.5 billion over five years to various housing initiatives, including $97 million to establish a HousingWorks program similar to the MassWorks grant program that has helped municipalities work with the state and developers on large projects.
The Healy administration describes HousingWorks as a "flexible tool to support housing development, preservation and rehabilitation, with the goal of enabling the construction of up to 300 new affordable units each year."
The grant program also builds on existing capital programs, such as the housing stabilization fund, which awards grants to developers for production and preservation efforts that support residents with up to 60 percent of area median income, as well as transit-oriented housing and "climate resilient" affordable housing.
In addition to HousingWorks, the governor's plan puts forward $43 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $14.9 million toward the Housing Innovations Fund, to "support innovative and alternative forms of rental housing, including ‘homelessness' housing, [in addition to] housing for seniors and veterans, and transitional units for recovery from substance abuse."
Additionally, the CIP seeks to leverage federal funding for the construction of new Chelsea and Holyoke Veterans' Homes.
Money to Flow Toward Climate-Friendly Initiatives
Massachusetts' transportation systems will receive $1.4 billion from the state "to reduce emissions through electrification, create more sustainable modes of transportation and build resilient infrastructure prepared to withstand the impacts of a changing climate," according to the Healy administration.
The plan calls for funding 40 projects at different state buildings over the next half-decade with a focus on decarbonization. The total project is valued at more than $1.6 billion.
Additionally, the next five years will see $840 million dedicated to modernizing public higher education campuses across the Commonwealth to make them more climate resilient and address critical repairs and deferred maintenance.
In fiscal 2024, the CIP will combine $164.8 million in federal funding with matching funds from the state to be used toward the Clean Water Trust. The trust offers loans and grants to Massachusetts' cities, towns and water utilities to help communities build or replace water infrastructure to clean ground or surface water resources.
Other federal funding unlocked this fiscal year includes a total of $30 million toward abandoned hazardous waste areas, known as "Superfund sites."
Range of Development Projects to Be Funded
Economic development initiatives are funded with $1.2 billion in the CIP, including about $80 million earmarked to solidify the state's position in the innovation, life sciences and advanced manufacturing industries.
Keen on keeping Massachusetts' edge in the life sciences sector, Healey is dedicating $35 million to the Mass Life Sciences Center in Waltham, and $18.3 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative.
The state's Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) has earmarked $163.1 million "to strengthen Commonwealth communities," in fiscal 2024, including through Community One Stop for Growth grants. This program is a single application portal for communities to apply for state funding. In fiscal 2023, the program assisted 337 local economic development projects in 169 communities to become connected to funding, according to EOED.
This $163.1 million also includes $96 million toward the local infrastructure grant program MassWorks, and $16.6 million for towns and cities to revitalize underutilized properties.
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