FITCHBURG — State Sen. John Cronin and Rep. Michael Kushmerek joined Fitchburg officials at City Hall to present more than $1 million in state funding that will support housing production in Fitchburg. The $1,054,000 in housing funds, which were included in the fiscal 2026 state budget, will be used to support housing production projects already underway, according to Sen. Cronin.
“This investment in Fitchburg will provide new housing opportunities for residents, help drive down costs, and support economic development on Main Street and beyond,” said Cronin. “I’m proud to have worked with Rep. Kushmerek, Mayor Squailia, and our city officials to identify this need and deliver critical state dollars to grow the region’s housing stock and increase opportunity for residents.”
The housing funds will be distributed between the city and the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority (FRA), the city’s independent economic development agency tasked with facilitating infrastructure investments and development projects.
“This funding represents a strong commitment to furthering the development of our downtown and encouraging more families to live and work in Fitchburg,” said Representative Kushmerek. “I’m thankful for the leadership of my colleague Senator Cronin, and to the City of Fitchburg for its continued commitment to expanding housing opportunities in our region.”
Included in the final budget is $750,000 for the FRA, as well as an additional $304,000 direct funding to the city to further expand housing opportunities downtown.
This marks the third consecutive year that Cronin and Kushmerek have secured state funding for the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority and the city of Fitchburg to support housing production in the state budget. In fiscal 2025, two legislators landed a $1 million investment for Fitchburg’s housing efforts. This included $750,000 for the FRA and an additional $250,000 for the city.
In addition to the investments for Fitchburg’s housing initiatives, the city also saw a more than $8 million increase in Chapter 70 funding, which provides state dollars for schools’ operating costs, bringing its total allotment to over $86.2 million for the current school year. The city also received $10.7 million in unrestricted aid to help fund a variety of services.
With the legislature heading into the second half of its two-year session, both Cronin and Kushmerek reaffirmed their commitment to continue to secure additional funding to grow Fitchburg’s housing market.
-Office of Sen. John Cronin
Original article
Comments