Advertisement

Boston And 10 Other Municipalities Vote To Adopt Community Preservation Act

A sign in favor of adopting the Community Preservation Act is seen on Carroll Street in Watertown, one of the 11 communities to pass the measure. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)
A sign in favor of adopting the Community Preservation Act is seen on Carroll Street in Watertown, one of the 11 communities to pass the measure. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Eleven cities and towns in Massachusetts, including Boston, voted to adopt the state's Community Preservation Act (CPA) on Tuesday, according to the Community Preservation Coalition.

The measure was on the ballot in 16 municipalities, so five voted against it.

The measure adds a small property tax surcharge to residents' tax bills to fund local initiatives on affordable housing, open space and historic preservation.

In Boston, the measure adds a 1 percent real estate surcharge.

It was a second go-around for CPA supporters in Boston. After the measure failed there in 2001, city voters easily approved it Tuesday by a margin of 74 percent to 26 percent.

Along with Boston, the following communities voted to adopt CPA, according to the coalition: Billerica, Chelsea, Holyoke, Hull, Norwood, Pittsfield, Rockland, Springfield, Watertown and Wrentham.

These places voted against it: Amesbury, Danvers, East Bridgewater, Palmer and South Hadley.

According to the coalition, 172 cities and towns in Massachusetts have now voted to adopt CPA since it was enacted in 2000.

Earlier:

Headshot of Benjamin Swasey

Benjamin Swasey Digital Manager
Ben is WBUR's digital news manager.

More…

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close