WORCESTER—With more than 2,000 new housing units added over the past five years, Worcester has been named a 2025 Housing Choice Community by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The designation, awarded to just 43 cities and towns statewide, recognizes municipalities that meet state housing production goals and adopt policies to support growth and affordability. In turn, it provides access to exclusive state funding and technical assistance to help cities accelerate local housing efforts.
Worcester produced 2,133 net new housing units, far surpassing the state’s eligibility benchmark of 700 units.
“The City of Worcester is committed to continually exploring new ways to create affordable housing – whether it’s through building new units, adaptive reuse, inclusionary zoning, accessory dwelling units, or reducing parking requirements,” said City Manager Eric D. Batista in a statement. “The state funding opportunities that are made available via the Housing Choice Program are critical for the creation of new, affordable units. Thank you to the Healey-Driscoll administration and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities for continuing to prioritize affordable housing across the state.”
According to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the Housing Choice Initiative aims to reduce housing costs and encourage development through both production and planning reforms. Municipalities must demonstrate sustained progress in building housing and implementing policies like zoning updates, streamlined permitting, or support for mixed-use development.
With this designation, Worcester can now compete for certain state grants and resources available only to Housing Choice Communities.
More information about the Housing Choice Initiative is available at mass.gov/housingchoice.
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