New Attorneys Hired at Parese, Sabin, Smith & Gold

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Kelly Samuels and Pamela Green
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Parese, Sabin, Smith & Gold LLP has welcomed two new associate attorneys to the firm.

Pamela Green joined the firm in July 2011, and has been admitted to practice law in Massachusetts since 2005. She concentrates her practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning, estate administration, elder law, guardianship, municipal and land use law. She enjoys working with first-time homebuyers, and people looking to buy or build their dream homes. Green said she believes strongly in providing compassionate, thorough advice to clients coping with the long-term illness of a loved one, or loss of a family member.

A 2005 magna cum laude graduate of Western New England University School of Law, Green was managing editor of the Law Review there and published an article on interstate wine shipments. She received her master’s degree in world politics in 1999 from the Catholic University of America, from which she also received a bachelor’s degree.

Originally from Lowell, Green and her husband have chosen to live in Pittsfield since 2005. She volunteers her time as the Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum’s general counsel and special events manager.

Kelly Samuels joined the firm in August 2011 and has been admitted to practice law in Massachusetts since 2010. Samuels concentrates in the areas of estate planning, estate administration and real estate. A recent graduate of Western New England University School of Law, she returned to the Berkshires, where she grew up, to practice law and make a contribution in the community.

A 2004 graduate of Berkshire Community College, Samuels pursued her bachelor’s degree at Smith College as an Ada Comstock Scholar, a program for nontraditional students. An Oliver Wendell Holmes Scholarship recipient in law school, she was production editor of the Law Review there before graduating in 2010.

Parese, Sabin, Smith & Gold LLP, with offices in Pittsfield and Williamstown, concentrates in business and corporate law, land use planning, real estate, nonprofit law, estate planning and estate administration.
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Berkshire Towns Can Tap State Seasonal Communities Resources

BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey announced that 18 additional municipalities across Massachusetts have been designated as Seasonal Communities, opening up new tools, support and grant funding to help them manage seasonal housing pressures. 
 
Created as part of the historic Affordable Homes Act signed into law by Governor Healey in 2024, the Seasonal Communities designation was designed to recognize Massachusetts communities that experience substantial variation in seasonal employment and to create distinctive tools to address their unique housing needs. The law also established the Seasonal Communities Advisory Council (SCAC).  
 
The Affordable Homes Act identified several communities to automatically receive the designation, including:   
  • All municipalities in the counties of Dukes and Nantucket;   
  • All municipalities with over 35 percent seasonal housing units in Barnstable County; and   
  • All municipalities with more than 40 percent seasonal housing units in Berkshire County. 
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To identify additional communities, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) reviewed available data, specifically focusing on cities and towns with high levels of short-term rentals and a high share of second- or vacation homes.
 
In Berkshire County, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, West Stockbridge and Williamstown have been designated. 
 
"Our seasonal communities are a vital part of Massachusetts' cultural and economic fabric, but they're also home to essential workers, families, seniors, and longtime residents who deserve a place to live year-round," said Governor Healey. "That's why we're committed to supporting these communities with innovative solutions like the Seasonal Communities designation to meet their unique needs, and I'm thrilled that we're offering this opportunity to 18 additional communities across the state. Everyone who calls these places home should be able to live, work and grow here, no matter the season." 
 
As with the statutorily identified communities, acceptance of the designation for municipalities is voluntary and requires a local legislative vote. HLC will open an application for newly eligible communities that haven't accepted the Seasonal Communities designation to request consideration. 
 
The Affordable Homes Act created several new tools for communities who accept the Seasonal Communities designation to be able to:  
  • Acquire deed restrictions to create or preserve year-round housing 
  • Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers, public works and town hall workers have a place to live 
  • Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents 
  • Create year-round housing for artists 
  • Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment 
  • Permit tiny homes to be built and used as year-round housing 
  • Permit year-round, attainable residential development on undersized lots 
  • Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners' primary residence 
 
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