On April 4, 2024, Jeff Sauser attended his first meeting as a member of the Greenfield Planning Board. At his second meeting, one month later, he nominated himself to be vice chair of the board, and was elected by his four colleagues. One year and 3 months later, on Aug. 7, 2025, when the board reorganized, Sauser voted for himself to replace George Touloumtzis as chair. Touloumtzis had been on the Planning Board for roughly 17 years, and had served as chair since September of 2023. Touloumtzis was also nominated, but he didn’t have the votes to remain as chair.
In his final speech as chair, Touloumtzis focused on public engagement. He urged his colleagues to remember the words of the Massachusetts attorney general: “The Open Meeting Law does not require public participation in its meetings. But we do, however, encourage public bodies to allow for as much public participation as time and circumstances permit.” Touloumtzis added: “That to me really hit a chord. I thought, boy, they’re really saying we should be flexible, shouldn’t be necessarily restricted to a small comment period. Whoever’s chair, I would want that approach to continue.”
Sauser, as new chair, deflected: “The comment period could go on so long that we have no energy to do our work … I think we all agree. We want the public to be able to say something, but we want to work within our parameters of doing our business.” At a recent Planning Board meeting, public comment was limited by Sauser to 120 seconds per person.
In May of 2024, a consulting group called Community Scale presented a 97-page Greenfield Housing Plan. The principal of this consulting group is Jeff Sauser, who was already a member of our city’s Planning Board. Sauser’s Plan “offers insight into our current housing needs and the needs over the next ten years.” This Plan was funded by a Community Planning Grant from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Community Scale describes itself as “an urban planning consultancy … We are committed to driving innovation in urban development. We offer complete reformation of a town or city zoning ordinance.”
Greenfield today is in the middle of an urban “complete reformation” of our zoning code. Sauser’s report calls for production of up to 800 new housing units through the year 2034. Fifty-seven percent of these units would be owned, 47% rented. Most of this housing production (78%) would be accomplished by tax-subsidized housing authorities, non-profits, and land trusts. Only 22% would be private developers.
Here are excerpts from the “strategic action plan” in Sauser’s study:
· Revise zoning to promote more housing production. Update the zoning ordinance to enable more housing throughout the city.
· Remove provisions that limit or slow Accessory Dwelling Unit production.
· Introduce inclusionary zoning. Consider density bonuses … to truly unlock development opportunities in suitable locations such as in and around downtown.
· Position the Hope Street lot for housing development. Perform a feasibility study, to inform next steps including readying the site, preparing development scenario, crafting incentives as needed, and seeking a development partner.
· Explore use of Public Land for Development. Study the city’s current property portfolio for underutilized sites that could offer housing development opportunities.
· Market Greenfield to the regional and national development community.
Greenfield’s “Housing Production Pipeline” dated February of 2025, lists 15 projects that are pending with 201 new units “throughout the city.” The largest are 61 apartments at Wilson’s redevelopment; 36 units and 40 shelter beds at 60 Wells Street; 32 apartments/townhouses at 156-176 Main Street; 36 units at Stone Farm Lane.
Greenfield’s population growth is not fueling this housing “crisis.” Our census population has fallen by 7.6% since 2020. Over the next decade, our population will increase by a net of 153 people. Every age cohort from age 0 to 64 is declining – a total drop of 1,253 people. Only the elderly 65-plus is increasing by 1,406. Greenfield has 25% of the population of Franklin County, yet we have 52% of the subsidized housing inventory in the county. We have 1,280 units of subsidized housing – more than three times the next highest town of Orange at 410.
The Community Scale Plan recommends allowing multi-family housing by right “in as many places as possible,” allowing “larger buildings with more units per building,” allowing “taller buildings.” Our current housing “crisis” zoning policy seems to be: Build Anything, Anywhere, Faster and Higher. Our “town-known-as-the-city” is careening deeper into a denser, top-down urbanization make-over. Your 120 seconds of comment is already over.
Al Norman’s Pushback column is published in The Recorder the first and third Wednesday of the month.