Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $27 Million to Decarbonize Affordable Housing Across Massachusetts

Healey-Driscoll Administration Awards $27 Million to Decarbonize Affordable Housing Across Massachusetts

BROOKLINE — The Healey-Driscoll Administration today announced the first round of grants under its Affordable Housing Deep Energy Retrofit Grant Program, which the administration created earlier this year. A total of $27.35 million will be awarded to seven organizations for affordable housing projects. The grants will be used to fund deep energy retrofits and energy efficiency upgrades, building system electrification, and onsite renewable energy generation in 10 affordable housing developments in communities across Massachusetts. The announcement took place at The Village at Brookline.

Grants will help 10 affordable housing properties in seven communities upgrade equipment, insulation, and other features to lower energy demand and decarbonize. Program benefits include higher performing buildings that offer residents better indoor air quality and comfort, lower ongoing energy costs for residents and affordable housing providers, the opportunity for affordable housing providers to upgrade their housing stock, and healthier air in the communities were housing is located.

“Every day, I hear from residents who are struggling with the high costs of energy and housing. This grant program will lower monthly energy bills and maintain affordable housing for families across Massachusetts,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Electrifying our buildings presents an important opportunity to drive down energy costs for our residents. We will continue to pursue smart, cost-effective strategies that make our state more affordable, while keeping us on the cutting edge of climate innovation.”

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Northampton homeless encampment concerns neighbors as Mass. shelters reach capacity

Northampton homeless encampment concerns neighbors as Mass. shelters reach capacity

Last winter, Terry “Tree” North was able to leave his tent at an encampment near Texas Road and stay at a Northampton shelter. This year, as the temperature continues to drop, North said he doesn’t know where he will go as shelters are at or are near capacity in Northampton and across the state.

At the same time, as the blanket of falling foliage has revealed the previously unseen tents near some residents’ backyards, a new set of neighbors across the Mill River have added their voices to complain about the encampments on the dead-end street.

Given the complaints, North said he isn’t sure whether he will be forced to leave the encampment, which has been his home-base for around two years.

“I haven’t heard anything from a direct worker and I don’t see any signs up so I’m not sure what’s really going on,” North said. “If they don’t want us staying here, maybe they should give us a place to stay.”

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Exclusionary zoning in Mass. led to housing shortage, segregation, report says

Exclusionary zoning in Mass. led to housing shortage, segregation, report says

Exclusionary zoning throughout the last century across Massachusetts has led to the modern housing shortage and racial segregation throughout the state, according to a new report out Wednesday from Boston Indicators.

The report, which studied zoning codes from many of the state’s 351 cities and towns and the history of their creation, reveals that many zoning regulations were intended, explicitly or implicitly, to hinder housing growth and prevent lower-class residents and people of color from moving into town.

“In the mid-century, many municipalities were explicit about their use of zoning for social class positioning,” said Amy Dain, the researcher who wrote the report, during a Zoom presentation of the findings Wednesday morning. “Exclusion was not a side effect … it was a purpose.”

The report classifies exclusionary zoning into three categories: fiscal zoning, class zoning and racial zoning.

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Business Briefs: First-time homebuyer webinar series starts Nov. 8

Business Briefs: First-time homebuyer webinar series starts Nov. 8

Published: 11/2/2023 2:25:00 PM
Modified: 11/2/2023 2:24:28 PM

GREENFIELD — Greenfield Cooperative Bank and Valley Community Development are partnering to offer a three-part webinar series for first-time homebuyers. The webinars will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 8, Thursday, Nov. 9, and Wednesday, Nov. 15, from 6 to 9 p.m. via Zoom.

The webinars will cover a variety of topics, including the home buying process, financing options, credit tips, home inspections and homeowners insurance.

“We are excited to partner with Valley Community Development to offer this webinar series to first-time homebuyers in our community,” Jane Wolfe, executive vice president of residential lending at Greenfield Cooperative Bank, said in a statement. “Buying a home is a major life decision, and we want to make sure that first-time homebuyers have the information and resources they need to make the process as smooth as possible.”

The cost of the webinar series is $50 for two adults in the same household. Registration is non-refundable and attendance is required at all three sessions.

To learn more about the webinar series, visit greenfieldcoopbank.com/events.

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Healey praised, pressed on housing: $4B proposal hailed at Amherst roundtable as UMass asked to do more

Healey praised, pressed on housing: $4B proposal hailed at Amherst roundtable as UMass asked to do more

Staff Writer
Published: 11/2/2023 5:59:17 PM

AMHERST — Even as policies, programs and spending included in Gov. Maura Healey’s $4 billion Affordable Homes Act are being strongly supported by Amherst officials as a means of ramping up housing production, the governor is being advised that pressures on the town’s housing stock could be eased if the University of Massachusetts housed more students on campus.

During a roundtable discussion at East Gables, a 28-apartment passive solar building developed by Valley Community Development that is Amherst’s newest affordable housing, Healey and Ed Augustus, the state’s secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, were largely complimented on the strategies in the bond bill.

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Valley Builds Community

Valley Builds Community

As a small community development organization, we are rooted in the places where we work. Like you, we want thriving communities with a diversity of people and places. For 35 years we have worked on economic and affordable housing development with the help of our neighbors. You can help us continue to do this important work!

Read on to learn what we’ve been doing this year!

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Healey unveils historic $4B housing plan, includes WMass stop to tout measure

Healey unveils historic $4B housing plan, includes WMass stop to tout measure

By SAM DRYSDALE
State House News Service

Published: 10/18/2023 6:53:47 PM
Modified: 10/18/2023 6:52:30 PM

BOSTON — Framing her new legislation as “historic” and “urgent,” Gov. Maura Healey detailed a wide-ranging $4 billion-plus housing bill Wednesday at several stops throughout the state, including Springfield, and speculated that its passage could provide a jolt for the 2024 construction season.

“We gotta get after it,” Healey said at a press conference in Chelsea, saying that residents across the state are feeling the pressure of a squeezed housing market marked by low inventory and high costs.

“Today is about meeting the moment. It’s about meeting the moment and the needs of residents across the state. We’ve heard you, we listened to you, and today we’re taking action and in the days ahead we’re going to need collective action and team work to get this done,” the governor said.

The bond bill — which the governor has dubbed “The Affordable Homes Act” — would invest $4.12 billion into spurring production of new units, upgrading aging and neglected public housing, and converting state land into housing-ready plots. Her office said the plan would unlock the production, preservation and rehabilitation of 65,000 homes, including creation of 45,000 new homes. Many of those homes would be located in western Massachusetts.

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East Gables Housing Project Hosts Community Open House

East Gables Housing Project Hosts Community Open House

By Julia Gentin ’26
Sep 27, 2023

An open house Sunday marked the first public viewing of 28 sustainable affordable housing units located on Northampton Road, adjacent to Pratt Field, with statements from state congresspeople, funders, and town partners.

East Gables, an affordable housing project with 28 sustainable units located on 132 Northampton Road, adjacent to Pratt Field, hosted its first public viewing at a Sept. 22 open house. Residents will be moving in at the end of the month.

The project is a response to an Amherst housing shortage caused by high student demand, and a Pioneer Valley-wide increase in housing-burdened renters (people who spend over 30 percent of their income on rent). It is sponsored by Valley Community Development (Valley CDC) — a Northampton-based nonprofit that works to provide affordable housing in the Pioneer Valley.

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Whole Institute | Small Business Spotlight

Whole Institute | Small Business Spotlight

Dr. Leslie Saulsberry is the CEO of Whole Institute, LLC, located in Amherst, MA. She guides organizations in Organizational Effectiveness and Development; Change management and Leadership; Leadership Development; Organizational culture assessment and change; Organizational evaluation and learning approaches.

Whole Institute is hosting its first Annual Whole Women, Whole Leaders, Whole Systems, Whole WorldTM Conference On October 20-21st at Holyoke Community College. Through a global lens, they will consider the Whole Woman and her impact on leadership, the systems that we work and live in, and her impact on the world. We will focus on Gender as a Social Determinants of Women’s Health and Well-being, The Economic Security of Women, and the intersections.

Learn more by visiting bit.ly/WholeWomenConference2023!

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New life on horizon for Iron Horse: The Parlor Room buys entertainment venue from Suher

New life on horizon for Iron Horse: The Parlor Room buys entertainment venue from Suher

Published: 9/27/2023 5:22:28 PM

NORTHAMPTON — At long last, the Iron Horse Music Hall has a new owner, and music could be emanating from the venerable Center Street location as soon as February.

The Parlor Room, a nearby music venue run by a nonprofit organization, announced Wednesday that they have signed an agreement with Eric Suher, the current owner of the Iron Horse, for a transfer of business assets, including the venue’s liquor license, and a 15-year lease to operate the music venue, which has been shuttered since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our interests were aligned,” said Chris Freeman, president of the Parlor Room Foundation, on the agreement with Suher. “We both wanted to see the legacy of the Iron Horse continue. We both think it’s been this incredibly important place in Northampton.”

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Affordable housing under microscope: Housing chair visits region on listening tour to hear about challenges

Affordable housing under microscope: Housing chair visits region on listening tour to hear about challenges

Staff Writer
Published: 9/10/2023 11:55:38 AM

CHESTER — Making good on an offer she extended during a recent legislative debate, East Boston Sen. Lydia Edwards visited Chester on Thursday to learn more about the challenges involved in developing affordable housing in the hinterlands of western Massachusetts.

It was part of a two-day trip for Edwards, who also found time to visit Fitchburg, Holyoke, Great Barrington, Springfield, Hadley and Greenfield.

In Chester, Edwards, who chairs the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Housing, joined Sen. Paul Mark, D-Becket, on a tour of the Chester Commons, the town’s former high school, which is undergoing extensive renovations since its purchase in 2020 by the Hilltown Community Development Corp.

The building was originally converted to affordable housing in 1987, but had fallen into disrepair under the previous ownership. Hilltown CDC’s aim was to preserve the 15 units of affordable housing for seniors and those with disabilities, while bringing the building up to modern standards of habitability and accessibility.

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Morocco meets Main Street: Meriyem’s Cafe brings flavor of Mediterranean to Northampton

Morocco meets Main Street: Meriyem’s Cafe brings flavor of Mediterranean to Northampton

For the Gazette
Published: 8/30/2023 4:59:56 PM

NORTHAMPTON — A Mediterranean breeze has swept through downtown, bringing a taste and feel of Morocco to Main Street with Meriyem’s Cafe.

Located in the storefront formerly occupied by Dobra? Tea, the Northampton eatery offers its patrons the allure and decor reminiscent of a traditional Moroccan home with an indoor garden or a courtyard, also known as a riad. For an added touch, all of the interior walls have been limewashed with actual limestone, mimicking the appearance of buildings in the western region of North Africa.

A native of Morocco, owner Raina Yetts recalls gathering outside at the riad around a sun oven to cook, eat and be together.

“I wanted that feeling here in America where people could try all of these Moroccan fusion items and Mediterranean fusion items in a gathering place rather than just having us just appear at a wedding a few times a year,” said Yetts.

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Northampton projects that would increase housing, address affordability gain traction

Northampton projects that would increase housing, address affordability gain traction

By

The Northampton planning board moved along several housing projects which may help address affordability and increased demand in the city.

The projects discussed on Thursday night ranged from the creation of a two family home on Evergreen Rd. in Leeds to a 30-unit affordable housing project behind City Hall.

Director of Planning and Sustainability, Carolyn Misch, said the city has been working on finding opportunities to support housing projects, especially the creation of affordable units.

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Hotel, six-story housing complex on Northampton Planning Board docket Thursday night

Hotel, six-story housing complex on Northampton Planning Board docket Thursday night

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL
Staff Writer
Published: 8/23/2023 4:30:30 PM
Modified: 8/23/2023 4:30:03 PM

NORTHAMPTON — Two significant projects — a new four-story hotel on Conz Street and a six-story building behind City Hall for affordable housing — are scheduled to go before the Planning Board for review Thursday night.

Hotelier Mansour Ghalibaf is seeking a special permit and major-site plan approval for an extended-stay, 109-room hotel on the site of the former Daily Hampshire Gazette at 115 Conz St., next to an existing Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel that he opened in 2014. The new hotel would be nearly 18,000 square feet in size and would carry the Home2 Suites by Hilton name, according to documents provided to the city in its application.

 

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Meriyem’s | Small Business Spotlight

Meriyem’s | Small Business Spotlight

Meriyem’s is a woman-owned business that is named after the head chef, Meriyem, who is an immigrant and a single mother of six.

Meriyem’s started as an event catering company, offering a variety of cuisines, mainly Mediterranean, and is now expanding to have its own commercial kitchen and a café in Northampton.

Visit them online or in person.

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Town-owned properties eyed for future housing in Amherst

Town-owned properties eyed for future housing in Amherst

Staff Writer
Published: 8/15/2023 1:15:20 PM

AMHERST — Town-owned land on Strong Street and at the former Hickory Ridge Golf Course on West Pomeroy Lane, along with the properties that include the vacant Veterans of Foreign War building on Main Street and empty South Amherst School on Middle Street, are being eyed for future housing for low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

These pipeline projects, as Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek refers to them, could happen over the course of the next 12 to 15 years.

“I think all of these have potential,” Ziomek said at a recent Amherst Affordable Housing Trust meeting.

Doing the work on examining the redevelopment potential of the properties, though, is a matter of priority and the finite staff and resources the town has, Ziomek said. Still, such work can set up the town for soliciting affordable housing developers.

 

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Affordable Housing Trust commits $375K to future housing development in Amherst

Affordable Housing Trust commits $375K to future housing development in Amherst

Staff Writer
Published: 8/14/2023 3:21:59 PM

AMHERST — A North Amherst development that will include 30 affordable homes in 15 duplexes, giving home-ownership opportunities to families, is being financially supported by the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust.

The trust voted 5-2 on Aug. 10 to commit $375,000 to Valley Community Development’s Amherst Community Homes, a $17.17 million development on just over 9 acres off Ball Lane. The homes are to be part of the state’s Commonwealth Builders program, which provides a subsidy for first-time homebuyers and also aims to increase home ownership for Black, Indigenous and people of color communities and enhance generational wealth.

The trust’s support for the mix of two- and three-bedroom duplexes supplements $750,000 already coming from the town’s Community Preservation Act account.

Jessica Allan, real estate project manager for Valley CDC, said the idea of the project is to provide first-time homebuyers with access to new dwellings. “It is very rare to have this program and to have it available,” Allan said.

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Solar biz celebrates 2,000th installation, energy independence for Sunderland housing complex

Solar biz celebrates 2,000th installation, energy independence for Sunderland housing complex

Staff Writer
Published: 8/14/2023 10:44:08 AM

SUNDERLAND — With the flip of a switch, Sanderson Place’s solar array kicked on last Wednesday and set the senior housing facility on the road to energy independence.

At the same time, the event marked Pioneer Valley Photovoltaics’ (PV Squared Solar) 2,000th installation in western and central Massachusetts and southern Vermont. With a mission focused on sustainability and affordability, PV Squared worker-owner and Director of Marketing and Outreach Brittany Hathaway said the Sanderson Place array is a “stellar example” of how the Greenfield-based company works to create affordable housing.

“We can provide and celebrate energy independence in this diverse, beautiful senior community at Sanderson Place,” Hathaway said to residents, who were joined by PV Squared and Valley Community Development Corporation representatives. “The best part about the gift of solar is it keeps on giving and we know that this [photovoltaic] system will protect the affordability of living in this beautiful place.”

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Our Impact

Our Impact

Take a look at what we did over the past year!

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Affordable housing proposed for 27 Crafts Avenue in Northampton

Affordable housing proposed for 27 Crafts Avenue in Northampton

Aug. 8, 2023 |  Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thereminder.com

NORTHAMPTON — Preliminary plans have been proposed involving an affordable housing project behind Northampton City Hall on 27 Crafts Ave.

The project, which is being developed by Valley Community Development, officially began in late 2022 when Valley responded to a request for proposals issued by the city to develop the location for affordable housing.

Valley was selected to be the developer for the project, which includes 30 studios for single adults/couples. Twenty of them are being developed for unhoused or “very low-income” individuals while 10 will be reserved for low-to-moderate-income tenants. Five will be handicap accessible.

According to Bill Womeldorf, a real estate project manager from Valley and point person for the project, low-to-moderate-income includes individuals who are making minimum wage while a very low-income single person includes someone who generally makes less than $20,950 a year.

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Amherst councilors withdraw zone changes to address ‘missing middle’ housing

Amherst councilors withdraw zone changes to address ‘missing middle’ housing

Staff Writer
Published: 7/27/2023 2:06:40 PM

AMHERST — Two councilors seeking a package of zoning changes aimed at making it easier for duplexes, triplexes and converted dwellings to be developed in Amherst, addressing what proponents referred to as housing options for the “missing middle” between single-family homes and apartments, this week requested the plans be withdrawn.

District 2 Councilor Pat De Angelis and At-Large Councilor Mandi Jo Hanneke, who crafted and sponsored the comprehensive proposal that was subject to Planning Board and Planning Department review for the past several months, are formally requesting the withdrawal in a letter to their colleagues sent Tuesday.

The withdrawal comes after the Planning Board in June voted not to recommend the zoning amendments, even though members appreciated many of the concepts embedded in the proposal.

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Assembling a success story: Assemble moves to prominent corner in downtown Northampton

Assembling a success story: Assemble moves to prominent corner in downtown Northampton

Published: 7/26/2023 4:13:14 PM

NORTHAMPTON — As a teenager, Justin Brown relished visiting downtown with his friends. On a number of occasions, the Westfield native could be found hanging out in front of the former Iris Photo & Digital waiting for photos to be developed.

Little did Brown know that a few decades later, he would again be waiting out front of the four-story, circa 1880s building. Only this past Friday, he waited alongside Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra to cut the ribbon to officially open his retail business, Assemble Made and Curated, at its new location.

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Summer 2023 Update!

Summer 2023 Update!

We have a lot going on – read our summer update for details!

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500-plus apply for 28 affordable units in Amherst

500-plus apply for 28 affordable units in Amherst

By SCOTT MERZBACH
Staff Writer
Published: 7/17/2023 5:09:16 PM
Modified: 7/17/2023 5:08:46 PM

AMHERST — More than 500 people are interested in becoming the first tenants at East Gables, a housing project with 28 efficiency apartments for low- and moderate-income individuals scheduled to open in the early fall at 132 Northampton Road.

More than three months before the Valley Community Development project is ready for occupancy, the demand for affordable housing was seen when the Northampton nonprofit agency held a lottery for the apartments on June 1. That lottery received 501 applications.

“It’s very sobering, honestly, to have that many applicants,” Laura Baker, Valley’s real estate development director, told the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust at its meeting last Thursday.

Almost 400 of those who put their names into the lottery qualify as earning at or below 30% area median income, or $19,800, while 260 of the applications came from people who are unhoused, Baker said.

Baker told the committee that the lottery illustrates the need for more affordable housing.

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Resilient Community Arts | Small Business Spotlight

Resilient Community Arts | Small Business Spotlight

Formed in 2021 with a mission to sustain efforts for social progress and equity through art programs, Resilient Community Arts (RCA) is a non-profit organization and public art studio based in the EastWorks building in Easthampton. To achieve their mission, RCA offers youth and teen studio programs, skill-based workshops for all ages instructed by local artists, and studio membership options providing access to artists 18y.o and over. Check their website and calendar for upcoming programming and workshops: resilientcommunityarts.org/calendar

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BAM Nail Studio | Small Business Spotlight

BAM Nail Studio | Small Business Spotlight

Congratulations are in order for BAM Nail Studio, which opened its doors this month! BAM is a premiere gel x and gel-only nail studio in Northampton. Using the most sustainable, planet-friendly, and up-to-date nail products and technology, BAM’s goal is to optimize clients’ nail health while not sacrificing art, quality, and the environment.
Visit their website to schedule your next appointment: bamnailstudio.com
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Valley CDC eyes affordable housing behind Northampton City Hall

Valley CDC eyes affordable housing behind Northampton City Hall

Published: 7/5/2023 5:44:58 PM
Modified: 7/5/2023 5:44:46 PM

NORTHAMPTON — The Valley Community Development Corporation revealed preliminary plans Monday for a new affordable housing development that would provide 30 new studio apartments for low-income residents in a six-story building on Crafts Avenue behind City Hall.

Details of the planned development at 27 Crafts Ave. were presented during a Housing Partnership meeting by Valley CDC real estate development director Laura Baker. The city donated the property to Valley CDC, with a request to develop it into affordable housing, in 2022. The existing site includes a stairway leading to a parking lot between City Hall and the city’s Puchalski Municipal Building. A second parking lot for city employees is located at the bottom of the stairs along Crafts.

“Mostly, what we’re excited about is just how walkable this location is from everything to downtown,” Baker said. “It’s walkable to multiple bus locations in town, also extremely close to the bike trail as well as less than half a mile from the railway station.”

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Ecstatic Electrolysis | Small Business Spotlight

Ecstatic Electrolysis | Small Business Spotlight

Zora Berman, Owner of Ecstatic Electrolysis, reached out to Valley in January 2023 looking for assistance in starting her business. Zora’s entrepreneurial spirit, hard work, and commitment pushed her forward in her pursuit and she opened her business in April 2023. Zora, a licensed electrologist, provides tailored hair removal treatments (electrolysis) in a trauma-informed, body-neutral, and welcoming environment.

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Craig’s Doors shelter in Amherst to move guests into Hadley hotel

Craig’s Doors shelter in Amherst to move guests into Hadley hotel

Staff Writer
Published: 6/13/2023 10:09:55 AM

AMHERST — A permanent emergency shelter remains a long-term vision for the former VFW site on Main Street in Amherst, but in the short term, some guests served by Craig’s Doors: A Home Association will relocate this summer to rooms in a vacant Hadley hotel that has been eyed for affordable housing.

Craig’s Doors will soon move people from rooms at the University Motor Lodge in Amherst to the first floor at the former EconoLodge hotel at 329 Russell St., the Hadley hotel that Valley Community Development owns and has planned to convert to 51 apartments for up to 63 low- and moderate-income individuals.

That project has been delayed following the Hadley Zoning Board of Appeals voting down a comprehensive permit under the state’s Chapter 40B law.

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Northampton affordable housing project on Laurel Street fully funded

Northampton affordable housing project on Laurel Street fully funded

Published: 6/11/2023 4:00:11 PM

NORTHAMPTON — A planned affordable housing development in the city is one of 27 projects across the state to receive a combined $246 million in subsidies and tax credits from the Healey-Driscoll administration.

The money comes in the form of direct state subsidies, federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, and state and federal tax credits. The 20-unit Northampton project, at 23 Laurel St., received $5.7 million in deferred debt and $525,000 in low-income tax credits, money that allows the project to be fully funded, according to Alexis Breiteneicher, the executive director of Valley Community Development, which sponsors the project.

“Valley Community Development was thrilled to have 23 Laurel Street included as one of the funded affordable housing developments announced by Governor Healey [last] month,” said Breiteneicher in a statement to the Gazette. “Building more homes, particularly ones that are affordable, is an obvious solution to the crisis our region faces.”

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