Regional Housing Strategy: Brockton, Stoughton, Avon
Brockton, Stoughton, and Avon have partnered with OCPC to create a Regional Housing Strategy that will address the housing needs of each community individually as well as a cohesive region. Residents live, work, and shop within these communities. Across the region, there is a lack of housing supply and options to address the needs of current and future residents.
Housing is a fundamental need for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Ensuring access to affordable, safe, and suitable housing is crucial for the well-being of all community members. Making sure that the OCPC region has enough of those places to live for all kinds of people and all income levels is a core part of OCPC’s work. We can develop regional housing strategies that provide safe, healthy, affordable, accessible, and attainable housing for all in a community of their choice.
What makes up a Regional Housing Strategy?
The Regional Housing Needs Assessment aims to describe the nature and extent of housing needs. It does this by assessing current market conditions, existing affordable housing, patterns of foreclosure, and combined housing and transportation costs.
The OCPC region struggles to supply enough quality, affordable, and accessible housing that is connected to jobs and services. People in our region need more housing choices that meet their needs and preferences and are suited for an aging population, increasing diversity, and changing living patterns. This includes more high-quality rental housing, housing located near public transit, accessible housing for older residents and people with disabilities, and housing near job centers.
Regional Growth
Report
The Regional Growth Report will develop an inventory and assess the suitability of existing affordable housing. Relative to need, opportunity areas, and transportation efficient locations, and articulate alternatives that would better meet needs and serve people in these locations.
A housing inventory must reflect the needs of the community and can differ from municipality to municipality and change over time. Housing stock needs can be influenced by many factors including economic development, access to education and transportation, and the average age of the population.
Housing Action
Plan
A Regional Housing Action Plan will develop specific actions to assist in meeting identified housing needs. Policy and programmatic changes may be suggested at the state, regional, and local events. Actions may include zoning changes, programming, or ways to address funding needs.
The RHS takes a regional approach to addressing housing needs across multiple communities (Avon, Brockton, and Stoughton) rather than focusing on just one town.
- An HPP is a state-approved plan created by a single municipality to identify local housing needs and strategies to meet state goals for affordable housing.
- The RHS looks at shared housing challenges, resources, and opportunities across the region and offers collaborative, long-term solutions that go beyond the boundaries of one community.
Here are several ways you can get involved:
Take the Regional Housing Strategy “Visions and Goals” Survey to help shape the goals and priorities.
Attend a public workshop to learn more about the project and share your ideas.
Share your experiences of finding housing in the Avon, Brockton, Stoughton
Join a future summit to review strategies and recommendations.
Sign up for updates and future events at the top of the page or email Jason Desrosier at jdesrosier@ocpcrpa.org.
The stakeholders in the RHS include:
- Residents of Avon, Brockton, and Stoughton
- Municipal staff and boards, including planning, housing, and economic development departments
- Local elected officials
- Nonprofit organizations and housing advocates
- Developers and property owners
- Employers and regional institutions
- OCPC is leading the planning process, in coordination with town partners.
- Spring-Summer 2025: Initial research and data collection, outreach and community engagement, including a public survey and regional workshops
- Summer 2025: Development of draft goals and strategies
- Fall – Spring 2026: Drafting of the Regional Housing Strategy
- Early 2026: Final Regional Housing Strategy and public review
- Spring 2026: Plan finalization and release
The final RHS will be used to:
- Guide local and regional decision-making on housing policies and investments
- Support grant applications and funding opportunities
- Encourage collaboration across the three towns
- Inform zoning changes, infrastructure planning, and affordable housing development
- OCPC and local officials will continue working with stakeholders to implement key strategies and monitor progress.
Toolkits, Reports, and Resources for Housing
Here you will find everything from OCPC reports and resources to strategies on affordable housing, smart growth, and more.
OCPC Resources:
For MBTA Communities information and resources, or to learn how OCPC is supporting communities in our region with compliance
Housing is one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life and livelihood, playing a critical role in economic opportunity for individual workers and their families, affecting current and future workers, employers, communities, and regional markets OCPC has worked with dozens of communities to develop Housing Production Plans (HPPs). HPPs are a community’s proactive strategy for planning and developing affordable housing for its residents under M.G.L. Chapter 40B. These plans are developed in partnership with local officials and community members. Housing Production Plans consider the linkage between demographics, employment, and current housing supply and demand and will make recommendations for new and comprehensive approaches to meeting current and future housing needs. An HPP typically includes:
- Comprehensive housing needs assessment: Analyzing the community’s demographics, housing stock, and future housing needs.
- Affordable housing goals: Setting clear objectives for various housing types, including rental and homeownership options.
- Implementation strategies: Outlining steps and timelines to achieve these goals.
By having an approved HPP, towns can better manage comprehensive permit applications under Chapter 40B, ensuring decisions are consistent with local needs.
For more information on what goes into a Housing Production Plan, check out this helpful HPP Glossary.
Zoning changes and new bylaws are crucial for municipalities to address housing needs and achieve local goals. By regulating land use and building requirements, zoning policies help shape the character of a community, influencing both the built and natural environments.
OCPC supports municipalities by researching and drafting zoning updates allowing for mixed-use development, adoption of overlay districts, developing inclusionary zoning, and otherwise updating zoning bylaws or ordinances to allow and prepare for change.
Ensuring that the public is well-informed and actively involved in a planning process is crucial for creating effective and inclusive strategies. OCPC aids communities in the development of a comprehensive plan for community engagement and outreach. We assist in organizing and carrying out forums; creating, distributing, and analyzing surveys; and utilizing a variety of media platforms to inform the public about the planning process and to gather feedback.
External Sources:
- Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC)
- Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP)
- Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC)
- Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA)
- United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Boston Regional Office (HUD)
- Inclusionary Bylaws from MA Smart Growth Toolkit
- Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Housing Data:
MassBuilds is a definitive inventory of past, present, and projected real estate development across Massachusetts. This fully interactive website allows users to search, filter, summarize, and download information about over 3,500 residential and commercial development projects in the region. Available attributes about each project include housing units and commercial square footage, status, year of completion, parking availability, proximity to transit, and other information.
The Massachusetts Land Parcel Database is a statewide atlas of more than 2.1 million land parcel boundaries and associated tax assessor data. The database includes statistics about each parcel, including floor area ratio, assessed value per area, impervious surface, and other indicators.
