GREENFIELD — While local housing officials say the first-ever comprehensive state housing plan draws attention to the need for increased housing production, they wonder if enough focus will be given to Franklin County and say the plan lacks consideration of infrastructure and economic development ramifications.

The plan, titled “A Home for Everyone: A Comprehensive Housing Plan for Massachusetts,” identifies the need for more housing production across the state, with a goal of increasing the statewide supply of year-round housing by 222,000 units by 2035 — a 7% increase in supply. This, according to the plan, would address the existing housing crisis, accommodate unmet housing needs, achieve a healthy vacancy rate, meet the needs of the existing population and help foster long-term economic growth.

In this plan, Berkshire County, Franklin County and Cape Cod were identified as having less need compared to other areas of the state, requiring less than 2.5% growth in year-round housing units. A needs assessment explains that the regions identified in the lower range of percentages are in need of housing, but may not need as many new units to meet demand, which is assessed based on migration patterns, demographics and regional needs.

Demographic trends in the plan indicate that Massachusetts may see no population growth from 2025 to 2035. Over that time, half a million Millennials and Gen Z residents will be forming households, but not as many households will be freed up by Baby Boomer and Silent Generation households that are dissolving or moving away. Even with no population growth, Massachusetts needs 73,000 additional homes to accommodate that demographic demand, the plan says.

Susan Worgaftik, coordinator of Housing Greenfield, a local advocacy organization that encourages the development of affordable housing in the area, said the 2.5% growth figure for Franklin County has her concerned that it could indicate the administration’s interest in rural housing development compared to larger towns and cities that were identified as having more significant need.

“My concern is that as we try to do some development here in town and in Franklin County overall, that we’re going to find ourselves not seen as as important as some of the areas that they’ve rated as having more need,” Worgaftik said of the plan.

For comparison, the metro Boston area, northern Middlesex, central Massachusetts, Nantucket and the South Shore are areas that require a 7.5% to 10% increase in housing to keep up with demand, according to the plan. The Pioneer Valley region, which includes Hampshire and Hampden counties, requires a 5% to 7.5% increase in housing to meet demand.

Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) Housing and Livability Program Manager Megan Rhodes said she feels the state report is “spot on” when it comes to identifying the statewide need for housing, and that the key is the emphasis on housing production. Additionally, she said the high-level analysis from the state reflects the issues in the county.

When asked about the 2.5% growth figure, Rhodes said the state plan identified a need for roughly 1,000 new units over the next decade in Franklin County, but it doesn’t account for affordability, as FRCOG’s housing plan does.

“Our Regional Housing Plan says that we need at least 3,000 units to be affordable,” Rhodes said. “So it might mean that we need to convert some existing housing in addition to building new housing. We need housing of all types, all bedroom sizes, things like that.”

Still, the need for housing is identified in both plans, state and regional. Worgaftik thinks solutions need to account for the ability to foster economic development as part of creating more housing — something she had hoped the state plan would take into account more.

“The solutions here are not just building more affordable housing, but also making it possible for there to be economic development in conjunction with that,” Worgaftik said.

One critique of the plan Rhodes mentioned is the lack of emphasis on the infrastructure of rural areas, specifically in regard to towns relying on private septic systems and wells that limit production of housing when public sewer lines are necessary.

“They acknowledged it, but didn’t really go into detail,” Rhodes said. “That’s something that we’re going to need to really tackle, and we’re going to need state partners on that to figure out how to expand housing while on limited infrastructure.”

The state’s comprehensive housing plan, as well as the needs assessment and strategies plan, can be found at mass.gov/info-details/a-home-for-everyone-massachusetts-statewide-housing-plan.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.