In this issue...

• Upcoming 495/MetroWest Partnership Committee Meetings

• Community One Stop for Growth: Expressions of Interest Being Accepted

• Environmental Business Council of New England RDA Permit Webinar

• MetroWest Life Sciences Network March Events

• Save the Date: 495/MetroWest Partnership Annual State House Day

• 2025 Greater Lowell Economic Summit

Upcoming 495/MetroWest Partnership

Committee Meetings

The 495/MetroWest Partnership's Issue Committees are moving to quarterly meetings, alternating between two in-person meetings at our Westborough offices and two virtual sessions focused on guest speakers and presentations. Below, please find information regarding our scheduled committee meetings for March. Each meeting agenda will include:

• A featured topic for discussion.
• An update from staff on work the Partnership is doing relevant to that committee.
• And an open discussion during which participants can raise issues or questions they would like to discuss with the committee relative to its subject area, to guide future work of the committee.

Committee meetings listed below will be hosted in-person at our Westborough offices, unless otherwise specified.

Energy and Sustainable Development Committee: The Energy and Sustainable Development Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership will meet on Wednesday, March 12th at 8:30 AM. The committee will discuss innovative local and regional approaches to energy affordability. Click here to register.

Transportation Committee: The Transportation Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership will meet on Tuesday, March 18th at 8:30 AM. The committee will hear updates from the Boston region and Central Mass. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) on their Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, development processes this year and entertain comments and questions. The committee will also receive an update on the I-90 Allston Multimodal Project. Click here to register.

Housing Committee: The Housing Committee of the 495/MetroWest Partnership will meet on Tuesday, March 20th at 8:30 AM. The committee will review and discuss the Governor's statewide housing plan, and how it relates to regional efforts to spur housing growth. The committee will also discuss the recommendations made as part of the Unlocking Housing Production Commission. Click here to register. 

Community One Stop for Growth:

Expressions of Interest Being Accepted

Expressions of Interest are now being accepted for Community One Stop for Growth awards for communities and organizations. This Community One Stop program serves as the Commonwealth’s single application portal and collaborative review process for grant programs offered by the Executive Office of Economic Development, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and MassDevelopment. The submission period for Fiscal Year 2026 runs from May 5th and June 4th, 2025.

Expressions of Interest, or EOIs, while optional, are highly recommended to provide prospective applicants with necessary information as to whether their project aligns with the funding streams offered within the One Stop for Growth. The deadline to submit an EOI is March 26th. Click here to access the EOI form.

For those seeking assistance with the application and/or EOI, MassDevelopment's Community Investment team is able to assist via their Virtual Office Hours or by calling 617-330-2000. Click here for the Office Hours schedule.

Environmental Business Council of New England RDA Permit Webinar

The Environmental Business Council of New England will host a webinar to provide information on the U.S. EPA’s Residual Designation Authority (RDA) permit on March 11th from 11:45 AM to 1:15 PM. The RDA impacts privately-owned industrial, commercial, and institutional properties with one or more acres of impervious area in the Charles, Mystic, and Neponset River watersheds. 

Attendees will hear from experts about options for compliance, including both gray and green infrastructure solutions. The webinar will conclude with audience Question and Answer period with the program speakers. Click here to register for the webinar.

Impacted stakeholders should take note that the public comment period on the draft permit closes on March 17th. For background information on this issue, including information on how to submit comments directly to EPA, please visit the Water Resource Committee page of the 495/MetroWest Partnership's website.

MetroWest Life Sciences Network March Events

Brew Your Network: The MetroWest Life Sciences Network is hosting another edition of “Brew Your Network” on March 5th from 8:00 AM and 9:00 at 100 Pennsylvania Avenue in Framingham. The event will be an opportunity for 495/MetroWest life sciences professionals to network and engage in insightful discussions with peers. “Brew Your Network” events take place on the first Wednesday of every month and are designed to convene 20-30 life science professionals to discuss a variety of life science industry-related topics. Click here to register. 

Social Science: Building Your Network through Social Media: The MetroWest Life Sciences Network is hosting “Social Science: Building Your Network through Social Media” on March 18th from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM in Natick. The event will feature a presentation from Jaclyn Sergeant of Sergeant Digital, who will inform members of the 495/MetroWest life sciences community on how to manage their brand’s public image for the purpose of attracting potential investors, partners, and talent in the life sciences industry. Click here to register.

Save the Date: 495/MetroWest Partnership Annual State House Day

The 495/MetroWest Partnership will host its Annual State House Day on Tuesday, April 29th from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

This event is an annual opportunity created by the Partnership for our stakeholders to interact with members of our region’s legislative delegation, hear about their priorities, and ask questions or offer feedback relevant to your business, organization, or community.

The event is free to attend, though advance registration will be required. A full invitation with registration information will be published in late March. 

2025 Greater Lowell Economic Summit

The Northern Middlesex Council of Governments (NMCOG) is hosting the 2025 Greater Lowell Economic Summit on March 20th at UKG at Crosspoint Towers (900 Chelmsford Street, Lowell). The goal of the summit is to convene partners, interested stakeholders, and the public to brainstorm and build solutions for the challenges that threaten Greater Lowell’s economic development. The resulting discussions will guide the strategy formation of Greater Lowell Stronger Together, NMCOG’s 2025-2030 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy. Click here for more information about Greater Lowell Stronger Together.

NMCOG is asking all interested parties for their input on the 2025 Economic Summit’s programming. Anyone who is interested in attending and would like to share a topic of interest is encouraged to complete a brief survey. Once all feedback is received, NMCOG will send out an email to all survey participants on the finalized 2025 Economic Summit session topics and times, including all meeting details such as a registration link, parking and accessibility information, and agenda. Click here to access the survey. 

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if the 495/MetroWest Partnership can be of any assistance to you:

Jason Palitsch, Executive Director

(774) 760-0495

Jason@495Partnership.org

Thank you for your continued commitment to strengthening our region.