On July 16, the Greenfield City Council voted to declare the Hope Street parking lot “surplus” property, and to authorize the mayor to sell it. We were told in the same breath that we need 600 housing units — but that’s a 10-year goal.
We’re making good headway this year: 65 new housing units slated for the Wilson’s renovation, plus 32 mixed-income units at the RDI project — also on Main Street. Thirty-six more studio apartments in a three-story apartment building on Wells Street for the homeless. How much more can Greenfield do?
When I was in the Massachusetts Legislature, I was able to earmark millions of dollars through the housing bond bills to improve existing affordable housing developments, including community centers at Greenfield Gardens and Leyden Woods. Other funding earmarks were beneficial to the Greenfield Housing Authority and the Franklin Regional Housing Authority.
As Register of the Probate and Family Court over the past 22 years, I have led efforts to address the opioid epidemic, creating inpatient/outpatient programs that didn’t exist 12 years ago. These programs have helped hundreds, if not thousands of individuals who were struggling with substance misuse
Greenfield has always been a Franklin County leader in the development of subsidized housing. Our city today has over 52% of all the state-subsidized housing in the county. Many surrounding towns have little or no subsidized units. Greenfield has 15% of its total housing units listed as subsidized. Our city ranks 9th in the state for the percentage of total housing units that are subsidized. With the 100-plus more affordable housing units already in the pipeline, that ranking will be even higher
Greenfield has assumed more of the challenge — and the costs — of helping people live in housing they can afford. How much has it cost the city’s infrastructure: schools, police, fire, sewer, to expand our housing in a time of concern over property tax affordability, and reduced school budgets? Many homeowners in Greenfield take a deep breath before opening up their quarterly property tax bill. For some homeowners, their major housing challenge is not producing more units but falling behind on their own property taxes or making timely mortgage payments
We’re in a “housing hurry” to create dwellings everywhere, to build higher buildings, to mandate smaller houses, and to build projects in the downtown, out to the very edge of town, close to the river, in woodlands and protected habitats.
This “anything, anywhere” policy is getting out ahead of the people who have to pay the bills, the taxpayers who want quality schools, and good public safety protections.
I’ve heard a lot of “hopes” regarding the Hope Street parking lot. Some citizens want more subsidized units. Others “hope” for luxury condos. We need to do our due diligence, to be certain, for example, that the 34 “affordable” homes proposed for Stone Farm Lane make environmental sense. Our housing goal is not a one-year sprint, it’s a 10-year marathon.
We should not move so fast that we leave the public behind. We make more mistakes when we move faster. I met recently with the developer who purchased the Armory building on the corner of Hope and Prospect streets. He wants to create mixed-use housing and retail there, while investing millions in private capital. But he needs adequate parking in the Hope Street lot to make his project viable. Can we pivot to accommodate that need? Or will we end up selling the parking lot for pennies on the dollar? What is the potential Hope Street parking lot development worth? Will the buyer be another tax-exempt organization that will pay no property taxes?
I’m supporting a new “Greenfield Hope Street Referendum” that is circulating in the city’s neighborhoods. The referendum will need 480 voter signatures by Aug. 20 to get on the November ballot. I want all voters to have a voice in this decision, which may be a more nuanced discussion than people think. The Greenfield Hope Street Referendum will rescind the City Council’s hasty, unfocused vote on July 16. To learn more, email: greenfieldhopestreet@gmail.com. Find out how you can sign the petition, and have a say in the outcome.
In the end, we should hear what voters “hope” for. Democracy wins when the public is given a chance to weigh in on public policy. We can do that by signing the Greenfield Hope Street Referendum. Get involved in this important decision.
John F. Merrigan is a former Greenfield selectman, state representative, and current Franklin County Register of Probate.