BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick this month outlined initiatives designed to produce 10,000 multifamily units of housing per year, the first production goal of this kind set by any state in the country.

According to a news release, the initiative, dubbed Compact Neighborhoods, complements smart-growth programs by providing incentives to encourage residential development near transit and town centers.

The program will recognize communities planning ahead systematically for economic and housing growth, and will offer Chapter 40B relief and priority consideration in discretionary funding programs, such as the MassWorks Infrastructure Program.

Compact Neighborhoods joins a number of existing programs that are being expanded or re-funded in an effort to expand available options for cities and towns and help meet the goal of 10,000 new housing units per year. The goal figure was set after collaborating with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council and the Kitty and Michael Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University.

Also expanded in the jobs bill is the Chapter 43D program, which will support prompt and predictable residential permitting. Some communities have used Chapter 43D to support housing production that provides a variety of housing types for residents. •