reglab/housing_qa huggingface dataset:
MA Gen L ch 40b § 24 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 24 - Metropolitan Area Planning Council; Composition; Appointments; Vacancies

Section 24. There shall be a metropolitan area planning council, in this section and in sections twenty-five to twenty-nine, inclusive, called the council. Said council shall consist of one representative from each city and town of the metropolitan area planning district who shall be appointed by the mayor or, if the city has a manager, by the city manager, and in the case of a town, by the board of selectmen or, if the town has a manager, by the town manager, twenty-one persons to be appointed by the governor of which number there shall be sufficient representation of minority and low-income groups so as to substantially represent their viewpoints in the area to be served by the council; and the following officers or their respective designees who shall be members ex officiis: — the chairman of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the chairman of the Massachusetts Port Authority, the chairman of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, the commissioner of the department of conservation and recreation, the chairman of the board of directors of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the commissioner of highways, the secretary of housing and economic development, the director of housing and community development, the commissioner of environmental protection, the chairman of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the commissioner of public works of the city of Boston and the executive director of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission.  The municipal appointing authority of any city or town may designate an alternate representative to serve coterminously with the representative appointed under this section. Upon the expiration of the term of any appointed or alternate member, his successor shall be appointed in like manner for a term of three years. The appropriate appointing authority shall fill any vacancy for the remainder of the unexpired term.
MA Gen L ch 40b § 25 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 25 - Council; Officers; Meetings; Rules of Procedure; Report; Treasurer's Bond; Powers and Duties

Section 25. The council shall elect annually by and from its members a president, vice-president, secretary and a treasurer, each of whom shall hold his office until his successor is elected and qualified. Election of said officers shall be held annually in the month of May, and the officers elected shall commence their terms on the fourth Wednesday of May.  The council shall meet three times a year at the call of the president and at such other times as the council may determine.  It shall establish rules of procedure for its activities and the activities of the executive committee and shall keep a record of its meetings, transactions, resolutions, findings and determinations, all of which shall be a public record. The council shall make an annual report to the general court.  The treasurer shall give the council a bond, with a surety company authorized to transact business in the commonwealth as surety, for the faithful performance of his duties in such sum and upon such conditions as the council may require.  The council shall maintain the fullest cooperation with cities and towns in the district and shall render them all possible assistance in their planning activities, especially when two or more of the municipalities have common problems.  The council shall have and exercise the same powers and duties of the regional planning and economic development district as set forth in section fourteen.
MA Gen L ch 40b § 26 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 26 - Establishment; Composition

Section 26. There is hereby established a metropolitan area planning district, in this section and sections twenty-seven to twenty-nine, inclusive, called the district, consisting of the following cities and towns:—  and any other city which by vote of its city council and any other town which by vote of a town meeting applies to the council to be included in the district and whose application is approved by a majority vote of the council; provided, that any such city or town is within an area which is being urbanized and which adjoins the metropolitan area planning district and has common or related urban planning problems.  The district shall constitute a public body politic and corporate and, if designated by the Secretary of Commerce of the United States, shall be an economic development district in accordance with the provisions of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965.
MA Gen L ch 40b § 27 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 27 - Mutual Exchange of Data, Etc. Between Council and Other Governmental Agencies

Section 27. There shall be a mutual exchange, between the council and all offices, boards, commissions, departments, divisions and agencies of the commonwealth, and all offices, boards, commissions and departments of each political subdivision of the commonwealth within the district, and all public authorities operating within the district, of data, records and information within their knowledge and control pertaining to the district, or to parts thereof, which may be required for the preparation of plans made pursuant to section twenty-five; provided, however, that no such public authority shall be required to expend any funds for such purposes in contravention of its trust indentures.
MA Gen L ch 40b § 29 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 29 - Inter-Agency Agreements; Expenditures; Assessments; Gifts, Grants, etc.; Fund

Section 29. The council is authorized to enter into contracts and agreements with any department, agency or subdivision of the federal or state government and any individual, corporation, association or public authority to provide or receive services, facilities, staff assistance or money payments in connection with the work of the council, and the council may contribute or receive services, facilities, staff assistance or money payments as consideration in such contracts and agreements.  The council may expend for services and other expenses such amounts as are assessed and collected from its member cities and towns together with such amounts as the council may receive under any federal or state law or by gift, grant or contract from any source including grants, bequests, gifts, or contributions made by any individual, corporation, association, public authority, or agency or subdivision of the federal or state governments; provided, however, that any such assessment on such city or town shall not exceed any per capita amount fixed by the council, from time to time, based on the population of such city or town, exclusive of the number of inmates of institutions therein. Such assessment shall not exceed a sum equivalent to 50 cents per capita for the fiscal year 2015. Any increase over a previous year's assessment may only be made by a two-thirds vote of the representatives of cities and towns present and voting at a meeting duly called for the purpose of acting upon such an assessment. The state treasurer shall, subject to the aforesaid limitations, certify the amount to be assessed upon each city and town comprising the district, and said amount shall be paid by such city or town to the state treasurer as provided in section twenty of chapter fifty-nine. Any amounts paid by a city or town to the state treasurer, as provided in this section, shall be credited on the books of the commonwealth to a fund to be known as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council Fund. The state treasurer shall, upon receipt of any such funds and upon a warrant approved by the executive committee of the council, pay such funds over to the treasurer of said council for the operation of its activities.
MA Gen L ch 40b § 30 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40b - Regional Planning|Section 30 - Technical Assistance Center; Permitting Model; Evaluations and Reporting; Regional Planning Districts to Assist Municipalities

Section 30. (a) There shall be within each regional planning district created under this chapter or by special act, a technical assistance center for the delivery of coordinated, comprehensive, and continuing technical services to and among local governments for the purpose of expediting permitting.  The board of executive directors of the Massachusetts association of regional planning agencies shall develop a state-wide permitting model that municipalities may adopt. The model processes shall expedite local permitting and zoning consistent with chapter 43D.  The board shall direct each regional planning agency to conduct an evaluation of its member cities' and towns' permitting processes and to report its findings to the board. It shall be the responsibility of each regional planning agency to work under the guidance of the board to assist in the development of a state-wide model. The board shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means not later than November 1, 2007, on recommendations necessary to implement the state-wide model proposed to effectuate such expedited permitting.  The regional planning districts shall, at the request of a member city or town, provide the city or town services and assistance to:—  (1) reduce unnecessary delays and create certainty and predictability as well as promote an efficient and timely appeals process;  (2) create a positive regulatory culture with a bias toward making decisions;  (3) conduct on-going staff training to address applicant questions;  (4) select sites for expedited permitting, while identifying potential issues, concerns, or problem areas;  (5) prepare applications for approval of the sites;  (6) establish clear criteria for determining the completeness of permit applications;  (7) update or eliminate conflicting, cumbersome, and redundant permit processes and procedures;  (8) examine and redraft zoning by-laws to aid in the balanced development of the community; and  (9) develop plans and incentives for residential and commercial development, while taking steps to mitigate the environmental and transportation impacts of new growth.  (b) A city or town shall not be required to receive technical assistance from a regional planning agency in order to participate in the expedited permitting process, pursuant to chapter 43D.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 1 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 1 - Citation

Section 1. This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the Historic Districts Act.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 2 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 2 - Purpose

Section 2. The purpose of this chapter is to promote the educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public through the preservation and protection of the distinctive characteristics of buildings and places significant in the history of the commonwealth and its cities and towns or their architecture, and through the maintenance and improvement of settings for such buildings and places and the encouragement of design compatible therewith.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 5 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 5 - Definitions

Section 5. As used in this chapter the word ''altered'' includes the words ''rebuilt'', ''reconstructed'', ''restored'', ''removed'' and ''demolished'' and the phrase ''changed in exterior color''; the word ''building'' means a combination of materials forming a shelter for persons, animals or property; the word ''commission'' means the commission acting as the historic district commission; the word ''constructed'' includes the words ''built'', ''erected'', ''installed'', ''enlarged'', and ''moved''; the words ''exterior architectural feature'' means such portion of the exterior of a building or structure as is open to view from a public street, public way, public park or public body of water, including but not limited to the architectural style and general arrangement and setting thereof, the kind, color and texture of exterior building materials, the color of paint or other materials applied to exterior surfaces and the type and style of windows, doors, lights, signs and other appurtenant exterior fixtures; the words ''person aggrieved'' mean the applicant, an owner of adjoining property, an owner of property within the same historic district as property within one hundred feet of said property lines and any charitable corporation in which one of its purposes is the preservation of historic structures or districts; and the word ''structure'' means a combination of materials other than a building, including a sign, fence, wall, terrace, walk or driveway.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 6 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 6 - Certificates of Appropriateness, Non-Applicability or Hardship; Necessity; Applications and Plans, etc.; Building and Demolition Permits Restricted

Section 6. Except as the ordinance or by-law may otherwise provide in accordance with section eight or said section eight or nine, no building or structure within an historic district shall be constructed or altered in any way that affects exterior architectural features unless the commission shall first have issued a certificate of appropriateness, a certificate of non-applicability or a certificate of hardship with respect to such construction or alteration.  Any person who desires to obtain a certificate from the commission shall file with the commission an application for a certificate of appropriateness, a certificate of non-applicability or a certificate of hardship, as the case may be, in such form as the commission may reasonably determine, together with such plans, elevations, specifications, material and other information, including in the case of demolition or removal a statement of the proposed condition and appearance of the property thereafter, as may be reasonably deemed necessary by the commission to enable it to make a determination on the application.  No building permit for construction of a building or structure or for alteration of an exterior architectural feature within an historic district and no demolition permit for demolition or removal of a building or structure within an historic district shall be issued by a city or town or any department thereof until the certificate required by this section has been issued by the commission.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 7 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 7 - Factors to Be Considered by Commission

Section 7. In passing upon matters before it the commission shall consider, among other things, the historic and architectural value and significance of the site, building or structure, the general design, arrangement, texture, material and color of the features involved, and the relation of such features to similar features of buildings and structures in the surrounding area. In the case of new construction or additions to existing buildings or structures the commission shall consider the appropriateness of the size and shape of the building or structure both in relation to the land area upon which the building or structure is situated and to buildings and structures in the vicinity, and the commission may in appropriate cases impose dimensional and set-back requirements in addition to those required by applicable ordinance or by-law. When ruling on applications for certificates of appropriateness for solar energy systems, as defined in section one A of chapter forty A, the commission shall also consider the policy of the commonwealth to encourage the use of solar energy systems and to protect solar access. The commission shall not consider interior arrangements or architectural features not subject to public view.  The commission shall not make any recommendation or requirement except for the purpose of preventing developments incongruous to the historic aspects or the architectural characteristics of the surroundings and of the historic district.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 9 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 9 - Maintenance, Repair or Replacement.

Section 9. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the ordinary maintenance, repair or replacement of any exterior architectural feature within an historic district which does not involve a change in design, material, color or the outward appearance thereof, nor to prevent landscaping with plants, trees or shrubs, nor construed to prevent the meeting of requirements certified by a duly authorized public officer to be necessary for public safety because of an unsafe or dangerous condition, nor construed to prevent any construction or alteration under a permit duly issued prior to the effective date of the applicable historic district ordinance or by-law.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 12 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 12 - Review Procedure Provided by Local Ordinance or By-Law

Section 12. A city or town may provide in its ordinance or by-law or in any amendment thereof, for a review procedure whereby any person aggrieved by a determination of the commission may, within twenty days after the filing of the notice of such determination with the city or town clerk, file a written request with the commission for a review by a person or persons of competence and experience in such matters, designated by the regional planning agency of which the city or town is a member. If the city or town is not a member of a regional planning agency, the department of community affairs shall select the appropriate regional planning agency.  The finding of the person or persons making such review shall be filed with the city or town clerk within forty-five days after the request, and shall be binding on the applicant and the commission, unless a further appeal is sought in the superior court as provided in section twelve A.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 12a (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 12a - Appeal to Superior Court

Section 12A. Any person aggrieved by a determination of the commission, or by the finding of a person or persons making a review, if the provisions of section twelve are included in a local ordinance or by-law, may, within twenty days after the filing of the notice of such determination or such finding with the city or town clerk, appeal to the superior court sitting in equity for the county in which the city or town is situated. The court shall hear all pertinent evidence and shall annul the determination of the commission if it finds the decision of the commission to be unsupported by the evidence or to exceed the authority of the commission, or may remand the case for further action by the commission or make such other decree as justice and equity may require. The remedy provided by this section shall be exclusive but the parties shall have all rights of appeal and exception as in other equity cases. Costs shall not be allowed against the commission unless it shall appear to the court that the commission acted with gross negligence, in bad faith or with malice in the matter from which the appeal was taken. Costs shall not be allowed against the party appealing from such determination of the commission unless it shall appear to the court that such party acted in bad faith or with malice in making the appeal to the court.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 13 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 13 - Jurisdiction of Superior Court; Penalty

Section 13. The superior court sitting in equity for the county in which the city or town is situated shall have jurisdiction to enforce the provisions of this chapter and any ordinance or by-law enacted hereunder and the determinations, rulings and regulations issued pursuant thereto and may, upon the petition of the mayor or of the board of selectmen or of the commission, restrain by injunction violations thereof; and, without limitation, such court may order the removal of any building, structure or exterior architectural feature constructed in violation thereof, or the substantial restoration of any building, structure or exterior architectural feature altered or demolished in violation thereof, and may issue such other orders for relief as may be equitable.  Whoever violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars nor more than five hundred dollars. Each day during any portion of which a violation continues to exist shall constitute a separate offense.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 14 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 14 - Powers and Duties of Commissions Established as Historical Commissions

Section 14. If the city council or town meeting so votes a commission established hereunder shall have the powers and duties of an historical commission as provided in section eight D of chapter forty and, in this event, a commission may be entitled an historical commission.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 15 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 15 - Filing of Ordinances, Maps, Reports, Etc.

Section 15. All ordinance or by-laws creating an historic district adopted by a city or town under authority of this chapter and under authority of any special law, unless the special law shall otherwise provide, amendments thereto, maps of historic districts created thereunder, and annual reports and other publications of commissions, and rosters of membership therein, shall be filed with the Massachusetts historical commission.
MA Gen L ch 40c § 16 (2021)
2021 Massachusetts General Laws|Part I - Administration of the Government|Title VII - Cities, Towns and Districts|Chapter 40c - Historic Districts|Section 16 - Special Historic Districts; Acceptance and Effect of This Chapter

Section 16. A city or town in which there is located an historic district established under a special law may, upon recommendation of the historic district commission having jurisdiction over such district, accept the provisions of this chapter with respect to such district by a two-thirds vote of the city council in a city or by two-thirds vote of a town meeting in a town, and thereafter such historic district shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter notwithstanding the terms of any special act pursuant to which such historic district was created. The provisions of this chapter shall not impair the validity of an historic district established under any special act.