text: The Honorable Ann-Margaret Ferrante, House Chair
  The Honorable Kathleen O’Connor Ives, Senate Chair
  Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses
  State House, Boston
  Dear Representative Ferrante, Senator Ives, and Distinguished Committee Members,
  On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association appreciates the opportunity to offer testimony in strong support of H. 138, An Act Relative to Marketing Prioritized Development Sites, sponsored by Representative Antonio Cabral and others. If passed, this bill would create a new economic development tool for municipalities to market local sites that are prime for development, and we urge you to give the measure a favorable report.
  This legislation directs the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD), under the auspices of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, to oversee the creation and development of an online database of sites indicated by local officials as priorities for development or redevelopment. The database would be publicly searchable, and could include key information about each site including parcel size, location, zoning, and local contact information, among other factors. The website could either be created and maintained by MOBD, or through a partnership between MOBD and an external entity. There would be no cost to local officials to submit sites to the database.
  The creation of this database would represent an excellent opportunity for the state to showcase the diverse array of development opportunities that exist in communities across the Commonwealth, from large cities to small towns. The initiative directly aligns with MOBD’s core mission, which is to attract and facilitate the relocation of businesses to Massachusetts and to assist existing Massachusetts companies with expansion. The database would create an easily accessible starting point for companies that may be considering relocation to Massachusetts and are in the early stages of site selection, and for those companies within the state that may need to change locations based upon expansion needs.
  Right now, MOBD partners with MassEcon on a website called the ReadyMass 100. MassEcon is a private sector nonprofit with a mission to promote the state as a premier choice for business growth, and the ReadyMass 100 website initiative showcases 100 sites that are deemed by MassEcon as most suited for development. Sites are submitted by property owners for consideration at a cost of $250 per submission. Because the initiative is limited to 100 sites, a majority of municipalities do not have any sites featured, and because property owners submit the sites, those that are featured may not represent municipally determined priority development opportunities.
  The database proposed by this legislation would offer municipal officials an equitable opportunity to showcase the sites within their community that are local priorities for development or redevelopment –whether they are vacant parcels of land or historic buildings prime for rehabilitation and adaptive reuse. Many municipalities do not have economic development staff to market important sites within their city or town, and this initiative would offer them a valuable and important opportunity to market to developers. In addition, by submitting a site to the database proposed by this legislation, a municipality would send a strong signal to prospective companies that it has an interest in development and is open for business.
  We know that you and your colleagues in the Legislature are committed and dedicated to building a strong, healthy and thriving Massachusetts economy, and we respectfully urge you to give this legislation a favorable report. The economy of our state is only as strong as the economies of our cities and towns, and this proposal would create an excellent opportunity for the state to partner with municipalities to promote local economic development while complementing existing initiatives geared toward the private sector. This municipally-focused initiative would foster real growth and opportunity in our cities and towns, and support the residents and businesses of the Commonwealth.
  Thank you very much for the opportunity to submit testimony in support of H. 138. If you have any questions, please feel free to have your staff contact Catherine Rollins of the MMA staff at (617) 426-7272 at any time.
  Geoffrey C. Beckwith
  Executive Director & CEO, MMA