Berkshire County — As the deadline approaches for public comments to a draft state regulation that would benefit seasonal communities, two local emergency medical service providers call for a change in the proposal.
Understanding the Seasonal Communities designation
The draft Seasonal Communities designation was created as a way for some municipalities—that see their populations rise at certain times of the year—to provide more affordable housing options. As part of the Affordable Homes Act that took effect last year, the measure seeks to address housing needs when local employment increases, such as during the summer season.
With such a designation, qualifying communities can develop housing and give a preference to municipal workers, including public safety personnel, as well as create housing occupancy restrictions, a housing trust fund to buy or preserve affordable housing, and year-round housing for artists. Also included with the designation is the ability for towns and cities to develop housing needs assessments, offer permits for tiny homes and homes on undersized lots, in addition to increasing a property tax exemption for primary homeowners.
The Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) is tasked with administering the Seasonal Communities designation and developing its regulations. The department has identified 25 municipalities that are legislatively designated as Seasonal Communities, with those municipalities having at least 40 percent of their homes used seasonally, recreationally, or occasionally.
According to Mass.gov, eight of those qualifying communities are in Berkshire County: Alford (43 percent), Becket (46 percent), Hancock (58 percent), Monterey (53 percent), Mount Washington (49 percent), Otis (56 percent), Stockbridge (44 percent) and Tyringham (40 percent). With 38 percent of its homes used seasonally, recreationally, or occasionally, West Stockbridge is within five percentage points of qualifying for the designation. Nine Cape Cod communities also qualify.
A copy of the draft legislation can be found here.
Proposal omits avenue for nonprofit ambulance employees to benefit from affordable housing options
The EOHLC Seasonal Communities draft comment period on the proposal is set to expire on October 31.
By submitting his comments, Stockbridge Affordable Housing Trust Chair Patrick White is hoping to encourage more Berkshire residents to submit their remarks.
He applauded the work the EOHLC has done to deliver its draft regulations: granting communities the ability to tailor the proposal to meet their needs such as including tiny homes in local bylaws; increasing the area median income maximum to allow housing benefits for middle class individuals; permitting undersized lots to be used for local housing; specifying options for first-time home buyers; and offering preferential treatment for essential and municipal workers. White noted that the new reporting requirements associated with the provision may be “an administrative burden” for smaller municipalities and suggested waiving those actions for some communities.
However, as Chief Financial Officer for Southern Berkshire Ambulance (SBA), White urged department officials to tweak the draft to include his organization’s employees within the definition of “essential and municipal workers” that benefit from its affordable housing provisions. As with Northern Berkshire EMS (NBEMS), SBA is a nonprofit organization operating apart from a local government entity. It provides emergency medical services to the towns of Alford, Ashley Falls, Egremont, Great Barrington, Housatonic, Monterey, Mount Washington, and Sheffield and responds as mutual aid to six additional municipalities. SBA averages about 3,800 calls annually, according to its website.
In his October 8 column in The Berkshire Edge, SBA Board of Directors President James Santos explained that “the state has only made housing options available to municipal [Emergency Medical Technicians] (EMTs) and paramedics, not those working for nonprofits.”
That is a problem for Berkshire County’s rural towns.
Since both the SBA and NBEMS squads are nonprofits, their first responders will not fall under the affordable housing preferences created in the Seasonal Communities designation should the draft regulations be adopted.
“It helps us all if our local responders choose to live locally,” Santos stated.
The SBA maintains about 30 full- and part-time EMTs and paramedics, and according to White and Santos, about 20 to 25 of those employees commute at least an hour to reach the company’s Great Barrington headquarters. White stated the reason for the extended commute is the lack of local affordable housing and urged Commonwealth officials to “expand eligibility for these essential workers regardless of their employer’s corporate organization.”
NBEMS General Manager John Meaney agrees that the current draft’s definition of “essential workers” is “too narrow” and should be broadened to include those employed by nonprofit emergency medical service providers. His business serves as the primary 9-1-1 ambulance provider for the City of North Adams and the Berkshire County towns of Clarksburg, Florida, Monroe, Rowe, Williamstown, Hancock, New Ashford, and portions of Savoy in Massachusetts as well as Stamford and Readsboro in Vermont. It is also the back-up emergency provider for Adams, Cheshire, and Savoy in Berkshire County in addition to Pownal, Vt.
“Nonprofit ambulance services like ours are a critical component of the healthcare and public safety system, particularly in rural and seasonal communities,” Meaney stated to The Berkshire Edge. “Excluding nonprofit employees from affordable housing eligibility overlooks the essential role we play in ensuring emergency medical coverage and community health.”
For Meaney, the addition of emergency medical service providers like NBEMS and SBA into the Seasonal Community regulation would show a recognition and validation by the Commonwealth of the crucial place his employees hold in the region. “This would help address workforce challenges that already strain emergency services across the region and would ensure fair access to affordable housing for those who dedicate themselves to serving our communities,” he stated.
Comments can be submitted until October 31 to EOHLCRegulationComments@mass.gov, with “Comments on 760 CMR 76” added to the subject line.
