Pittsfield Conducting Housing Production Plan with BRPC
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will conduct a Housing Production Plan for the city.
Last week, the Affordable Housing Trust heard some points they are asked to consider in the infancy of this project. This includes the types of housing missing from Pittsfield, where insufficient housing affects other efforts, and housing wins.
A housing production plan helps create a pathway for municipalities to build housing through specific goals while contributing public input and a survey of community needs. It also sets targets for the amount of housing to be produced.
"We have worked with Berkshire Regional Planning before. I think you all remember where they did a housing needs assessment for us when we first convened," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds reminded the board during its July 22 meeting.
BRPC will kick off the project this month with data gathering, meeting with city staff to see the metrics, capacity, and what Pittsfield has undertaken so far.
In December and January, additional chapters will be presented around demographics, housing conditions, and barriers to housing. In February, they will work on goal setting and setting forth an action plan.
A big part of this, Dodds explained, is community outreach and engagement, which will occur in the spring
A final plan will be submitted to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities in May.
The AHT is asked to consider the types of housing, such as single-family, multifamily, and shared housing, that are missing from Pittsfield's portfolio; what other goals does Pittsfield have where housing is a key stumbling block to success, and the trust's biggest wins, a substantial opportunity, and something they have seen done elsewhere that might work for the city.
"Those are, I think, our beginning points," Dodds said.
Last month, the City Council awarded almost $475,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to historic, open space, recreation, and housing projects.
The AHT was awarded $165,000 for fiscal year 2027. The trust will gather letters of interest for funding proposals both long- and short-range, recognizing that this year, the allocation won't go very far on its own.
The body was formed about four years ago to help Pittsfield address housing needs that disproportionately affect under-resourced residents. It also handles CPA funds for housing projects.
"I think we've got a good process in place," Dodds said.
"They recognize, I think, that we're doing good work, and that this was one of the reasons that they had advocated for the formulation of this trust was to make sure that they had an entity that could look at these issues and funnel the money through this avenue in a way, so I think it's working well."
Tags: BRPC, housing,
