About The CPA

The Community Preservation Act (CPA) is a smart growth tool that helps communities preserve open space and historic sites, create affordable housing, and develop outdoor recreational facilities. CPA also helps strengthen the state and local economies by expanding housing opportunities and construction jobs for the Commonwealth's workforce, and by supporting the tourism industry through preservation of the Commonwealth’s historic and natural resources.

CPA allows communities to create a local Community Preservation Fund for open space protection, historic preservation, affordable housing and outdoor recreation. Community preservation monies are raised locally through the imposition of a surcharge of not more than 3% (Norwood voted for 1%) of the tax levy against real property, and municipalities must adopt CPA by ballot referendum. To date, 172 municipalities in the state have adopted CPA.

The CPA statute also creates a statewide Community Preservation Trust Fund, administered by the Department of Revenue (DOR), which provides distributions each year to communities that have adopted CPA. These annual disbursements serve as an incentive for communities to pass CPA.
*Information provided from the Community Preservation Coalition

The Town of Norwood voted to enact the CPA at Spring Town Meeting of 2017. Since this time a nine member Community Preservation Committee (CPC) has been put together and is working to establish a Needs Assessment, Project Application Form, and handling other various issues associated with the implementation of a new Committee.

For additional information: Community Preservation Coalition