Community Preservation Act (CPA) Information

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.

The CPA fund is created via a 1.5% surcharge on real estate taxes for residential, commercial, and industrial properties, which will begin to appear on the Fiscal Year 2018 3^rd and 4^th quarter real estate bills. A statewide Community Preservation Act Trust Fund is also distributed to municipalities and is funded by Registry of Deeds fees.

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 

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 view the income limits for the current year.

Click here for an Community Preservation Act Exemption application.  

(Note: applications for exemptions must be filed with the Assessor's Office on or before April 1, 2018)

The Committee is especially interested in receiving applications from individuals and civic groups for community-related projects that fall within the CPA (and DOR)  guidelines.

The Community Preservation Committee (CPC) is tasked with overseeing implementation and recommending projects to the City Council for funding. Its nine members are:

• LaMar Cook, neighborhood representative;
• Gloria DeFillipo, Planning Board representative;
• Juanita Martinez, Conservation Commission representative;
• Robert McCarroll, 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 CPC meets monthly. Meetings are open to the public. For the meeting times, locations, and agendas, please check the City Calendar.

 The CPC can be contacted at:

cpc@springfieldcityhall.com

Or:

Community Preservation Committee, City Hall, 36 Court Street, Springfield MA

Click here to see the 2018 CPC Funding Recommendations

Click here to see the 2019 CPC Funding Recommendations

• 2020 Application 
• 2020 Application Cover Sheet
• Review the 2020 Community Preservation Plan
• Review the Department of Revenue (DOR) Community Preservation Fund Allowable Spending Chart

• The CPC will conduct one funding round in the calendar year 2020 as follows:
• Full Applications due April 1
• Meetings with applicants April & May
• Deliberations June & July
• Recommendations to City Council July

Bring your questions and hear from previous CPC recipients about crafting a successful application. 

For more information, please visit the CPC Facebook page or send an email to klee@SpringfieldCityHall.com.  

The City of Springfield's Health and Human Services Department is currently monitoring the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and the Mayor has ordered City Hall and all other municipal buildings closed to the public beginning Tuesday, March 17, 2020, until May 4, 2020. Updates from the Mayor’s Office of Communication are found here: https://www.springfield-ma.gov/cos/index.php?id=2990 
 

The deadline to apply for CPC funding has been extended to 4 pm on April 29 for both the electronic application and hard copies.  You are encouraged to email (cpc@springfieldcityhall.com) the required electronic copy and cover sheet sooner if possible.

Municipal Departments

City departmentshave until 4 pm on April 29 to drop the required 11 paper copies of the application with the cover sheet at City Hall Room 412.

General Public 

City Hall is closed until May 4 to the public. The required 11 paper copies of the application with cover sheet should be mailed and postmarked by April 29 to City Hall Room 412. You may also deliver the applications in person to Bob McCarroll, 96 Elliot Street, Springfield, MA 01105 on April 29, between 1 and 4 pm. 

If you believe your application might be delayed because of COVID-19 shut-downs, contact CPC Chair Bob McCarroll at 736-0629.

As of this writing, the monthly CPC 6:00 pm meeting on April 7th at the Shea facility in Forest Park is postponed to May 5th (same location and time). We expect to either record or hold a live broadcast of the meeting if the closure is still in effect.  

Please check back for any further updates.

The Committee is especially interested in receiving applications from individuals and civic groups for community-related projects that fall within the CPA (and DOR) guidelines.

Applications can be found on the CPC page of the City Hall website:

https://www.springfield-ma.gov/finance/index.php?id=community-preservation

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/