Towns across Franklin County have signaled their support for the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) to apply for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) grant in hopes of advancing affordable housing.

Montague, Hawley, Gill, Wendell, Charlemont and Ashfield are among the towns to have signed a letter of support created by FRCOG and its partner, the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

According to information on the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission’s website, HUD will select 30 applicants across the U.S. There is $100 million available to be dispersed, with the maximum amount to be awarded per recipient being $7 million and the minimum being $1 million.

The proposal, the website notes, would advance housing development in the 69 cities and towns in Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties. There are 694,593 residents between the three counties, 40% of whom are “cost-burdened” households, meaning more than 30% of their income goes to housing.

FRCOG’s Housing and Livability Program Manager Megan Rhodes explained the grant opportunity comes at a convenient time as FRCOG has completed its 2024 Franklin County Regional Housing Plan, providing an in-depth and comprehensive view on the issue of housing.

“We’re hoping, if we get the funding, to be able to provide technical assistance to the towns, to help them amend their zoning if needed, and for those that are willing to change their zoning, we’re hoping to start tackling some of the bigger issues such as our Title 5 septic regulations, which is a real barrier to housing in Franklin County,” Rhodes said about how the grant would be used.

According to FRCOG’s housing plan, several barriers to housing exist in Franklin County. Affordability, housing stock, zoning laws, population changes and other factors contribute to housing issues, with the plan stating that Franklin County lacks 3,020 affordable housing units. Additionally, the home vacancy rate is 0.1% and rental vacancy is at 0%, which the plan states underscores the “intense demand for new housing.”

Montague is one of the towns that will seek to update its housing production plan with help from this grant if it is awarded. Town Planner Maureen Pollock brought forward a draft letter of support to the Selectboard on Sept. 23.

“Updating this [housing production] plan will help our community better understand local housing needs and demand, development constraints and opportunities, and vision for future affordable housing and market-rate housing in our community,” the letter reads. The Montague Selectboard unanimously supported the motion for Chair Richard Kuklewicz to sign the letter on behalf of the town.

Susan Worgaftik, coordinator at Housing Greenfield, a local advocacy organization that encourages the development of affordable housing in the area, said the grant is important for FRCOG to address housing issues that residents are facing. She explained that out of the shortage of 3,020 affordable housing units in Franklin County, Greenfield needs 400 to 800 of those to assist the population in finding rental housing or becoming homeowners. She noted a healthy vacancy rate would be between 5% and 8%.

“[There’s] not enough housing, and we can’t maintain ourselves if we can’t providing housing for people who presently live here,” she said.

In an email, Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Gina Govoni reiterated much of what Worgaftik said about housing access, adding that there is an issue of housing maintenance of what exists presently.

“We also need to attract more people in the construction trades to support the preservation of existing homes,” Govoni wrote. “[The Franklin County Regional Housing Plan] notes that 84% of the housing was built before the ban on lead paint, which shows the age of our housing. The current housing stock is simply not suitable to most of the people seeking housing — whether they are families with young children or single individuals seeking accessible, single-floor living.”

To address these housing issues, FRCOG offered several recommendations that could be funded by the HUD grant, Rhodes said. Updating zoning regulations and land-use policies, as well as addressing deteriorating housing and maintenance of existing housing, are among FRCOG’s recommendations.

“We’re hoping to get that grant,” Rhodes said. “It’s a really once-in-a-decade opportunity for funding.”

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