UMass Boston

For more than 20 years, MOPC has administered a mediation program for the Housing Appeals Committee of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (formerly Department of Housing & Community Development) to resolve affordable housing development disputes arising under the state’s comprehensive permit law (G.L. Ch. 40B). The program is uniquely designed as a multi-party forum for developers, municipal officials, and interested citizens/abutters to exchange information and create new options for the settlement of disputes. Financial sponsorship from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership provides parties with free mediation hours through the Program. 

Affordable Housing Development Mediation 

Mediation’s advantages in these conflicts are that the parties mutually resolve their issues in durable agreements generally obtained in less time and at lower cost than a full appeal hearing before the Housing Appeals Committee. The success of this program lies in bringing parties together with a skilled, impartial mediator to find innovative answers that might not come out in a formal hearing process - often resulting in allowing developments to proceed with important modifications, leading to more affordable housing for the state, and avoiding the need for a hearing or further litigation. 

Mediators  

The Program maintains a roster of skilled mediators drawn from affiliate practitioners qualified by MOPC for service on public contracts. These mediators have backgrounds in environmental law, land use and construction, municipal law, and public policy issues, and extensive professional experience working with municipalities and developers in complex multiparty disputes. 

MOPC Contact 

Courtney Breese, Program Manager, courtney.breese@umb.edu or 617-287-4046 

Other Resources 

For more information about the Housing Appeals Committee, please visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/housing-appeals-committee-hac.