Kofi Jones
Director of Communications
(617) 788-3652 (voice)
(617) 721-2231 (cell)
Kofi.jones@state.ma.us

DEVAL L. PATRICK

Governor

TIMOTHY P. MURRAY

Lieutenant Governor

Gregory Bialiecki

Secretary

“Massachusetts is poised for strong economic recovery and my administration is committed to working to ensure that new building projects get all of the assistance they need,” said Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki, “This added level of coordination among agencies will put people back to work sooner.”

The Permitting Collaborative will bring together state agencies and project proponents for a pre-application conference regarding the permitting needs of individual projects throughout the Commonwealth. This effort will enable these projects to move more quickly through the review process and toward job creation.

“Since 2007 the Permit Regulatory Office has been providing assistance to project proponents who are already in the permitting process, but earlier coordination among agencies and filers will help to avoid some of the issues that tend to arise during permitting,” said April Anderson Lamoureux, State Permit Ombudsman and Director of the Permit Regulatory Office. “Offering early consultation and agency coordination on a project specific basis is a win-win for all involved and will help projects meet all required state regulatory thresholds while also completing the permitting process more quickly and in a more predictable fashion.”

While working with the Collaborative will not bypass the state’s permitting and regulatory review procedures, an early discussion with key state agencies will allow project proponents to consider agency guidelines, criteria and recommendations prior to filing an application. This early level of collaboration has been regarded as one of the most effective ways of ensuring that project proponents and agencies have an opportunity to jointly address potential issues early, avoid delays, and move more quickly towards development and job creation.

The Massachusetts Permitting Collaborative is chaired by the State Permit Ombudsman. Participating agencies include:

• Massachusetts Permit Regulatory Office
• Department of Environmental Protection
• Department of Housing & Community Development
• Department of Public Safety
• Division of Capital Asset Management
• Division of Fish & Game
• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
• Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA)
• MassHighway

Eligible projects are those that require permits from two or more state agencies and have not yet started the permitting process but anticipate making a filing by July 1, 2010. If you have a project that you feel would benefit from a meeting with the Massachusetts Permitting Collaborative, or would like more information about the Massachusetts Permit Regulatory Office, please visit www.mass.gov/mpro for additional information. 

Long term job creation and economic development opportunities are critical components of Governor Patrick’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, which provides immediate and long-term relief and position the Commonwealth for recovery in the following ways: 

• Deliver immediate relief by investing in the road, bridge and rail projects that put people to work today and providing safety net services that sustain people who are especially vulnerable during an economic crisis;
• Build a better tomorrow through education and infrastructure investments that strengthen our economic competitiveness, prepare workers for the jobs of the future and support clean energy, broadband and technology projects that cut costs while growing the economy; and
• Reform state government by eliminating the pension and ethics loopholes that discredit the work of government and revitalize the transportation networks that have suffered from decades of neglect and inaction.

To learn more, go to www.mass.gov/recovery.

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The Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development is one of eight Secretariats that make up the Governor’s Cabinet. Under the leadership of Secretary Gregory Bialecki, the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development oversees the following undersecretariats:  the Departments of Business Development, Housing and Community Development, and Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.