Economic Development & Planning
Local Expedited Permitting Program
The former Oxford Foods plant in South Deerfield is a designated Priority Development Site.
Project Overview
Massachusetts General Law Chapter 43D was enacted for the purpose of supporting an expedited and streamlined municipal permit process for targeted economic development projects. For towns that choose to enact Expedited Local Permitting, they will have access to a one-time technical assistance grant to implement a transparent and efficient process for municipal permitting of identified “Priority Development Sites” (PDS) and for some site-specific pre-development work. Eligible PDS locations must have been identified and approved by the town and have permission of the property owner(s). A PDS must be zoned commercial, industrial or mixed use, and can accommodate the development or re-development of a building(s) of at least 50,000 square feet. In addition, state-approved PDS projects will have priority consideration for select state grant programs and may benefit from other state assistance programs, such as for marketing of the sites .
Current Activities
Through a state grant, the FRCOG is able to provide technical assistance to selected communities to help towns identify possible Priority Development Sites (PDS) and apply for a Technical Assistance Grant from the state for up to $100,000. Franklin County towns considering participation in the Expedited Permitting Program include: Bernardston, Buckland, Gill, Greenfield, Montague, and Orange. The FRCOG assisted the towns of Deerfield and Montague to successfully complete PDS designation and to be awarded technical assistance grants to develop a streamlined permitting process and conduct pre-development work for the PDS. The designated PDS in Deerfield is the former Oxford Foods property in South Deerfield. In Montague, the designated PDS is the former Strathmore Mill in Turners Falls.
The FRCOG has completed its findings of Franklin County municipal responses to the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies (MARPA) survey about the local permitting process. See the Publications page for a copy of these findings.
Future Plans
MARPA and its member agencies, including the FRCOG, are developing a “best practices” guide for municipalities to use as a tool to make permitting more predictable, consistent, and efficient without compromising local jurisdiction or encouraging imprudent projects.
Links
Massachusetts Permit Regulatory Office
Page last updated on 1/16/08 .