South Shore Chamber to partner with Metropolitan Area Planning Council on Smart Growth Analysis

Rockland, MA The South Shore Chamber of Commerce has formed a partnership with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to analyze key development opportunities on the South Shore with a $75,000 grant from MassDevelopment and $25,000 from the South Shore Chamber’s Economic Development Corp.

The Chamber will work with MAPC to conduct a high-level assessment of water and wastewater supply and demand dynamics for a number of potential growth areas in the South Shore region. This will include parts of the city of Weymouth and towns of Hanover, Hingham, Norwell and Rockland. This assessment will help to determine where water and wastewater infrastructure could be expanded to allow for more commercial and residential development. 

The grant is part of over $3.6 million allocated to projects in the fourth annual round of the Site Readiness Program awards. These awards provide vital resources to municipalities, private-sector businesses and nonprofit economic development entities to help overcome obstacles to developing otherwise prime locations. 

The program aims to boost Massachusetts’ supply of large, well-located, project-ready sites; accelerate private-sector investment in industrial and commercial projects; and support the conversion of abandoned sites and obsolete facilities into clean, actively used, tax-generating properties.

“We are proud to partner with MAPC in their mission to promote smart growth and regional collaboration across the South Shore,” said Peter Forman, president and CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. “The work they do is essential for the region and is a perfect complement to our ongoing comprehensive economic and community development plan South Shore 2030.”

“MAPC looks forward to building on the regional planning work that we’ve already completed with the South Shore Chamber, municipal leaders, and the private sector to facilitate thoughtful development on the South Shore,” said Betsy Cowan, chief of economic development at MAPC and the coordinator for the agency’s South Shore Coalition subregion. “We know that infrastructure constraints affect development on the South Shore, and we see this as an opportunity to identify shared solutions to unlock the full potential of the region. We are grateful for the continued leadership of the South Shore Chamber and look forward to this partnership."