The Town of Ipswich is updating its Housing Production Plan (HPP) in 2020. Consultants Anna Callahan and Jennifer Goldson from Goldson LLC are assisting the Town with this effort. The planning schedule can be seen here.
A Housing Production Plan evaluates the housing needs of a community, ensuring a mix of housing types for different income levels, and helping to work towards a minimum of 10 percent of year-round housing stock being designated as affordable. By demonstrating progress and establishing affordable housing production goals, Ipswich can maintain its “safe harbor” status. This status allows the Town to deny 40B development if it does not meet local needs.
To support this effort, a "Needs Assessment" for Affordable Housing in Ipswich was completed in 2019 and revised in the Spring of 2020. To gather additional input, close to 70 community stakeholders with diverse interests participated in small focus groups during the month of May. The materials below were prepared to guide these discussions, and also provide helpful background and information about the planning effort.
Informational Video on Ipswich HPP
Ipswich HPP Info and Maps
Ipswich HPP Focus Group Questions
Ipswich HPP Mapping Exercise
A summary of the information discussed during the focus group conversations can be read here.
In June and July, with the support of a small HPP working group, Goldson’s team has been drafting goals and strategies and revising the needs assessment, maps, and other required components of the HPP. The draft goals and strategies are based on a combination of input from the housing focus groups, the public input collected through the Community Development Plan engagement process, and the consultant’s recommendations and best practices. Before the end of the summer, Goldson will schedule a joint presentation of the draft to the Planning Board and the Select Board, which will also be an opportunity for further public input and comment before submitting the final plan to the MA Department of Housing & Community Development.
We welcome all community members to provide input on any of these documents and the overall Housing Production Planning process. Please download the Comment Matrix here to share questions or comments with the Goldson team and the Planning Department.
For more information or questions, please contact Town Planner Kristen Grubbs at kristeng@ipswichma.gov or 978-356-6607 x2