To the Editor:
The Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust Fund will be on the Warrant at the Special Town Meeting on January 26.The meeting, which starts at 6 p.m., will be held at Monument Mountain Regional High School.
When I moved to Great Barrington, in 1989, I was amazed to realize that I could afford to buy a house here. Similar houses in the greater Boston area were completely unaffordable for me at that time.
After living here for a while, I came to see what an exceptional place Great Barrington was. It was such an economically diverse community. Merchants, contractors, doctors and teachers, store clerks and restaurant workers — all lived in town. Not only that, I could buy pretty much whatever I needed in the local stores.
Over the last 20 years, things have changed considerably. Housing prices have more than doubled while wages have remained essentially stagnant. People employed in the service industries can no longer afford to live in town. Stores that sold basic products have been replaced by real estate offices and high-end specialty stores.
Many people choose to live here for that certain “small town” quality of life. The problem is, that small town lifestyle is evaporating, as our local population is being priced out.
We have programs in place to preserve open space and programs that preserve farmland. If we are to maintain the quality of life that attracts people to Great Barrington, we need a program to preserve (and create more) housing that is affordable for all of the people who work in our town.
In the 2007 Town Meeting, Great Barrington voted, “That the Town accept Section 55C of MGL Chapter 44, regarding establishment of a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund.” However, the trust was never established.
The Master Plan for Great Barrington, when it was updated in 2013, recommended that the town create a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund:
“Strategy HO 2.4: Create a municipal affordable housing trust fund. Such a fund, once created by Town Meeting, could be independently funded and would need only executive approval to dispense funds to worthy projects. It could be funded by donations, grants, contributions from B-3 mixed use developments, and other money, including CPA funds, to fund grant and loan programs on both the supply side (e.g., to create new affordable units and purchase or renovate distressed properties) and the demand side (e.g., to assist young families and first time homebuyers with homeownership costs). A housing committee would oversee and manage the fund. Proactively advertise this fund.”
I have worked with the town planner, Chris Rembold, to create a bylaw that will establish the Great Barrington Municipal Affordable Housing Trust. This bylaw will be on the Warrant at the Special Town Meeting on January 26th.
This trust will not increase local taxes. The trust’s revenue will come from Community Preservation Act funds and the other sources as listed above.
My hope is to work with the Trust to create small-scale, workforce housing, in existing neighborhoods. Housing that blends in with the character of the neighborhood — indistinguishable from surrounding homes. I envision 2- to 6-unit buildings — similar to existing multi-unit buildings that can be found everywhere in town today. This approach is sometimes referred to as “scattered site” development.
I encourage everyone to come to the Special Town Meeting on January 26th and vote for this bylaw to create the Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Bill Cooke
Great Barrington
The writer is a member of the Great Barrington Selectboard.
