

Community Preservation Act (CPA) Information
What is the Community Preservation Act (CPA)?
The Community Preservation Act (CPA) was created by state law (MGL Chapter 44B). It allows cities and towns to adopt a property tax surcharge to help fund projects that preserve the character of the community. Springfield voters adopted the CPA on November 8, 2016 and it went into effect on July 1, 2017.
How is the CPA funded?
The CPA fund is created via a 1.5% surcharge on real estate taxes for residential, commercial, and industrial properties. These charges first appeared on Fiscal Year 2018's 3rd and 4th quarter real estate bills. A statewide Community Preservation Act Trust Fund is also distributed to municipalities and is funded by Registry of Deeds fees.
How is the CPA surcharge calculated?
The CPA in Springfield exempts the first $100,000 of value for residential and commercial properties*. After the exemption is applied, the resulting value is then multiplied by the tax rate and the CPA rate, which is 1.5%. The resulting annual CPA is then divided evenly amongst the four quarterly real estate tax bills for any given fiscal year**.
* If you don’t know your assessed valuation, you can check it on the Assessor’s Website.
Do any exemptions to the surcharge exist?
Yes, households that qualify for low-income, or low or moderate-income housing, as defined by M.G.L. c. 44B, Section 2 are exempt from the CPA surcharge in its entirety. The low-income exemption applies to property owners under the age of 60 and the moderate income exemption applies to property owners aged 60 years or older. The area wide median income is determined annually by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Click here to review the income limit guidelines for a CPA surcharge exemption
Click here for a Community Preservation Act Exemption application.
(Note: The deadline for applications for exemptions is 4/1/21)
What types of projects can the CPA fund?
This revenue will be kept in a locally controlled fund that can help with:
- Acquisition, Creation, and Preservation of Open Space
- Rehabilitation or Restoration of Open Space acquired through the CPA
- Acquisition, Creation, Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Restoration of Recreational Land
- Acquisition, Preservation, Rehabilitation, and Restoration of Historic Resources
- Acquisition, Creation, Preservation, Support of Community Housing and Rehabilitation or Restoration of Community Housing acquired through the CPA
Who administers the CPA fund?
Implementation and recommending projects to the City Council for funding of the CPA in Springfield is overseen by the City's 9-member Community Preservation Committee. Representatives are appointed from each of the departments below and three neighborhood appointees by the City Council President.
- LaMar Cook, Neighborhood representative;
- Gloria DeFillipo, Planning Board representative;
- Juanita Martinez, Conservation Commission representative;
- Robert McCarroll, Chair, Springfield Preservation Trust representative;
- Terry Mitchell, Neighborhood representative;
- David Finn, Historical Commission representative;
- Willie Thomas, Housing Authority representative;
- Terry Rodriguez, Park Commission representative
- Ralph Slate, Neighborhood representative
The Springfield Community Preservation Committee (CPC) meets on the first Tuesday each month. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Committee will continue to meet remotely. Meetings are open to the public and can be viewed live or the next day. www.facebook.com/SpringfieldCommunityPreservationCommittee
Some meetings were recorded by Focus Springfield and are available on the Community Preservation Committee playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htJJMVRh8IE&list=PLolIYDZfz1YIh5SiXJXppYWJIVSmFt0X7
For the meeting dates, times and agendas, please check the City Calendar.
A public speak out is held after each remote meeting. Send an email to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com at least 24 hours before the scheduled meeting (advance notice not necessary for live meetings). Comments mailed or sent electronically become part of the public record.
Covid-19 updates from the Mayor’s Office of Communication
How to contact the Community Preservation Committee (CPC)
- By email: cpc@springfieldcityhall.com
- By telephone 413-530-1268
- On Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpringfieldCommunityPreservationCommittee
- By mail: Community Preservation Committee, City Hall, 36 Court Street, Springfield MA 01103
- To reach the Administrative Consultant: klee@Springfieldcityhall.com
How to Apply for 2021 CPA Funding: Schedule and Project Review Process
The Community Preservation Committee will conduct one funding round in 2021 as follows :
- Application Workshop - February 2
- Application Workshop - March 2
- Applications Due - April 1
- Meeting with Applicants - April & May
- Deliberations - June & July
- Recommendations to City Council - August
Note: The CPC cannot predict the time for the City Council approval process.
- 2021 Application
- 2021 Application Cover Sheet
- See the Additional Resources section at the bottom of this page for helpful guidance

Learn how to craft an application for CPA funding!
There will be two virtual workshops on February 2 and March 2. Workshops begins at 6:00 PM with a public Q&A after the presentation. The content for each workshop is the same and you may sign up for either or both dates.
Register in advance for February 2nd
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYkdOmvqTsvGtB5qvgFxDX2pIgW0N_Io-Lh
Register in advance for March 2nd
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEud-morTkqEt0xqnIRhimOUpDBMMae2Ai2
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Having trouble registering? Send an email to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com
The workshops will be recorded and can be viewed live on the Committee's Facebook page.
Application Process
Mail completed Applications (11 copies) to the Community Preservation Committee, Room 412, 36 Court Street, Springfield 01103, or (if possible) the applications may be hand delivered to the Budget Office, Room 412 of City Hall by April 1, 2021.
In addition, a digital copy of the application must be emailed to cpc@springfieldcityhall.com
For questions on the application process telephone 413-530-1268 or email Klee@springfieldcityhall.com
Funding Recommendations 2018-2020
2020 CPC Funding Recommendations
2019 CPC Funding Recommendations
2018 CPC Funding Recommendations
To view an application submitted in 2018, 2019, or 2020 contact cpc@springfieldcityhall.com
Additional Resources
City of Springfield Community Preservation Plan 2021
Department of Revenue (DOR) Community Preservation Fund Allowable Spending Chart
Community Preservation Act:http://www.communitypreservation.org/text-legislation
Community Preservation Ordinance:https://ecode360.com/32319903?highlight=community%20preservation%20committee#32319903
Community Preservation Coalition:http://www.communitypreservation.org/
Housing
Springfield and its Neighborhoods 2019 (Census Data)
Historic
Massachusetts State Historic Plan for 2018-2020
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/statepresplan20182022webversion.pdf
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) database (inventory) of surveyed properties compiled by Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC) http://mhc-macris.net/
1939 Works Progress Administration (WPA) search local historic properties. https://www.springfieldpreservation.org/wpa/
The Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties https://www.nps.gov/tps/standards/treatment-guidelines-2017.pdf
Technical Preservation Services, U.S. Department of the Interior (see brief 17 for general preservation of architectural character). https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs.htm
Open Space, Recreation, Conservation
City of Springfield Open Space & Recovery Action Plan 2015–2022