Stockbridge — Second-home owners packed Town Hall on July 27 to praise some aspects of their town governance while also addressing issues that impact their residency: affordable housing, participation on boards and commissions, road maintenance, accessible dwelling units, and even the likelihood of adding cannabis stores to the commercial area.
Following an inquiry as to options for part-time residents to participate in local government, Select Board members advocated that interested citizens join its committees and boards as a way of not only feeling a part of the community but having a voice in local affairs. Group members include residents of other towns, with openings advertised on the Stockbridge website and noted at Select Board meetings.
Attendees praised the Stockbridge transfer station’s cleanliness and the fact that it is open seven days a week for a fee of only $50 per sticker. Also on the positive side were comments about the town beach upgrades that improved the site, making the popular locale “aesthetically pleasing,” attendees said. “It’s the jewel of the town and now we’re respecting it,” second-home owner Patty Caya said of the beach and the new kayak racks.
For Beachwood second-home owner Jay Dubner, the prospect of adding cannabis businesses in town is attractive as a means to decrease property taxes, especially for the elderly and those who cannot meet their tax obligations. “If we were able to have a cannabis dispensary, we’d be reaping in tax dollars that would help those who are in need of assistance,” he said. “It’s a simple solution, and I think it’s a win-win situation.”
Although Stockbridge has a cannabis bylaw, board members and others weren’t so sure of its economic success, saying the venture requires a tremendous investment of capital for security and other measures; the smaller size of the town’s business district sites and parking lots wouldn’t be conducive to the project; and adjoining states have recently enacted regulations similar to Massachusetts that will be pulling in cannabis customers as well.
Mahkeenac Heights resident Shelly Camhi asked the town about pothole remediation in her neighborhood, calling the subdivision entrance “a shambles” since the pandemic began.
According to officials, the route is on the town’s paving list, a list that is being worked currently. Although the community is private, Stockbridge owns the loop around the neighborhood. But, if Stockbridge took over the road as owner, Select Board members said the road would have to be brought up to code, which might entail costly endeavors of widening and paving the route.
Mahkeenac Heights Association President Joe Newberg said he’s “happy” with the highway department’s service, but a major renovation is inevitable.
Caya focused on Stockbridge’s accessory dwelling unit proposal that allows for the development solely in owner-occupied homes.
Member Patrick White said the measure is a step toward making home ownership more affordable. According to White, 50 to 60 percent of homes in southern Berkshire County are cash purchases, and local personnel, including the town administrator and fire chief, can’t afford Stockbridge’s high real estate prices. “[ADU]s are designed to improve affordability for the folks who need to live in the community,” White said. “It’s the purpose of the bylaw.“
Newberg said the proposal, although it helps create more housing, is intentionally designed to exclude the benefit from second-home owners, a byproduct done with every major proposal in town. “We are all in this together as a town,” Newberg said. “The second-home owner portion of the town is a very vital part of Stockbridge. But it’s not different than the other homeowners in Stockbridge. We’re all vital. Second-home owners contribute a lot of economics to the town that wouldn’t be there otherwise, a lot of enjoyment and a lot of participation, we hope.” He admonished the Board to not look for “solutions that demonize the second-home owners” but to “incorporate and enable everybody to participate and improve the town.”
Other resident suggestions included adding zoning ordinances to allow for greater density accommodations such as cluster housing garden apartments, or tiny home communities—options that some homeowners won’t appreciate given the town’s larger lot sizes. White commented that caution should be exercised when creating such zoning proposals as the area lacks high paying jobs to attract newcomers as well as activities to pull in younger generations. “It’s not a simple fix,” he said.
