Community Preservation Act Committee

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a Massachusetts state law (MGL Chapter 44B) that enables adopting communities to create a local dedicated fund to preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational facilities.

In 2022 Boylston residents voted to adopt the CPA with a 1% surcharge on all real estate property tax bills.

As required by the Community Preservation Act, a local Community Preservation Committee CPC) was formed to administer the program. It is our responsibility to…

· Develop a Community Preservation Plan. The CPC will identify Boylston’s resources, needs and goals by reviewing town planning documents (Master Plan, Open Space and Recreation Plan, and Housing Production Plan), meeting with town boards and committees and gathering community input.

· Solicit public input to maintain that Plan. The CPC must hold at least one public hearing annually to get input from the general public, and use that input to keep Boylston's Community Preservation Plan up to date.

· Review and Recommend CPA Projects. The CPC accepts project proposals from the community and reviews them with the aim of selecting the most compelling projects for recommendation to Town Meeting.

· Keep records and report on the CPA Budget. The CPC is required to keep records of all CPC meetings, proposals, and recommendations, and to submit a CPA budget annually to Town Meeting.

Community Preservation Committee meetings are open to the public and are typically held on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm in the Ward Nicholas Boylston meeting room at Town Hall.

Contact: CPC@Boylston-ma.gov