I read Greenfield’s FAQ sheet on the Hope Street parking lot. The city says they don’t really know what will happen at the site until they get back responses to the request for proposals.
But the city’s goal is to develop it “into market-rate housing … that rents or sells for what the free market determines to be its value.”
The FAQs go on to say “Affordable housing for low-income households is important, but we believe that market rate housing is the best outcome for this development.”
According to Greenfield‘s 2024 housing study 66% of the households in need of affordable housing are below the median income for market rate housing. I don’t understand why we are putting our tax-funded city staff energy into helping developers seek housing for people in the $74,000 to $93,000 annual income rate range. This group makes up only 8% of total Greenfield households.
The Hope Street lot, which is owned by the city, is being sold without “any income parameters for the kind of housing that will go on this lot,” the city says.
Any advocate out there who has been pushing for more low income housing — this is not your project. We should be asking why we are throwing away tens of thousands of dollars a year in parking fees in return for market rate housing?
I also think there must be a much better place to build actual affordable housing in Greenfield and, to me, this is not it.
Joan Pyfrom
Greenfield