BRPC Completes Rehab Work on 14 Sheffield Homes

07:49AM / Thursday, November 06, 2025Print Story | Email Story

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) announced a total of 14 homes in Sheffield have been successfully rehabilitated through the Housing Rehabilitation Program administered by BRPC on behalf of the Town of Sheffield.

The $807,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application was submitted to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) in the spring of 2023 and the program wrapped up on Sept. 30, 2025.

Of the 14 homes, the household sizes ranged from one to six people while ages ranged from one year old to 94 years old. Each household had to meet the definition of low- to moderate-income as defined for Berkshire County by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

For a household of four, that was a household income of $87,600 or less. All identifying homeowner information, including their participation in the program, is kept confidential.

The type of rehabilitation work for each home was identified through a thorough housing inspection completed by BRPC's Housing Inspector. The work on the 14 homes included items such as new roofing, windows, addressing failing septic systems, lead paint mitigation, new siding, electrical work, and much more. The average cost per home was roughly $57,000.

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission was recently engaged by the Town of Sheffield's Select Board to pursue another CDBG application for housing rehabilitation for the coming year. If homeowners, including those outside of Sheffield, are interested in being considered for a future program, they should visit BRPC's website where they can sign up for the Waiting List at the bottom of the page.

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First Eagle Mill Units in Lee to Open in Springtime

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:02AM / Tuesday, February 03, 2026

Eagle Mills developer Jeffrey Cohen updates the Lee Chamber of Commerce as the project's phases, and the amount of heavy lifting to get it to this point.

LEE, Mass. — More than 50 affordable units are expected to come online at the Eagle Mill this spring.

This is the first of several planned development phases at the former paper mill that dates back to the early 1800s, totaling more than 200 units. The Lee Chamber of Commerce hosted an information session on the project during its Business Breakfast last Wednesday.

"We are here because we have a really big project that's happened for a very long time here in Lee, that, for myself, has provided a real sense of hope, and has has really defined this community as one of the few in the Berkshires that's really looking forward, as opposed to just being sort of stuck in the past," Chamber member Erik Williams said.

The estimated $60 million development broke ground in 2021 after nearly a decade of planning and permitting. Hundreds of workers once filed into the 8-acre complex, producing up to 165 tons of paper a week. The last mill on the property closed in 2008.

Hearthway is accepting applications for 56 affordable apartments called "The Lofts at Eagle Mill" with expected occupancy in May. The housing nonprofit was also approved for 45 additional units of new construction on the site.

Jeffrey Cohen of Eagle Mill Redevelopment LLC said the project dates back to 2012, when a purchase contract was signed for the West Center Street property. The developers didn't have to close on the property until renovation plans were approved in 2017, and the mill was sold for $700,000.

It seemed like a great deal for the structure and eight acres on the Housatonic River, Cohen explained, but he wasn't aware of the complex pre-development costs, state, and local approvals it would entail. Seven individually owned homes adjacent to the property were also acquired and demolished for parking and site access.

"If I knew today what I knew then, I'm not sure we'd be sitting here," he said, joining the breakfast remotely over Zoom.

Cohen praised the town's government, explaining that the redesigns and critiques "Could not have been done in a friendlier way, in a more helpful way," and the two Massachusetts governors serving during the project's tenure. The Eagle Mill redevelopment is supported by state and federal grants, as well as low-income housing tax credits.

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