Planning officials, housing advocates and other community activists met virtually Tuesday to discuss how to diversify Franklin County’s housing stock, a conversation that participants agreed largely involves bringing more voices to the table.
“Communities happen by design,” said Dana LeWinter, municipal engagement director at the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), a statewide affordable housing organization that works to ensure people have access to affordable homes in the communities they choose. “They don’t happen in a vacuum.”
CHAPA Municipal Engagement Program Associate Lily Linke said Franklin County, which the organization has worked with for the last 18 months, is the most rural county in the state, with a population that has remained stagnant over the past 30 years. In nearly every community, Linke noted, the median age is 40 or above.
“That trend we’re seeing now of aging communities has occurred over the past 20 years,” she said.
As of 2012, Franklin County has one of the lowest percentages of minority populations, compared to the rest of the state, with only 8% of the population identifying as a minority. Barnstable County also has an 8% minority population.
“There is a slow trend toward becoming more diverse, but still, it has a much higher representation of white residents than the rest of the state,” she said.
The housing stock, she explained, is equally lacking in diversity, with single-family residences being the dominant housing style in most communities. Exceptions include Sunderland, Greenfield, Montague and Orange.
“In many cases, the single-family share makes up 90%, or close to 100%,” Linke said, referencing CHAPA’s data on Franklin County.
Further, more than half the county’s communities have cost-burdened renters, those who spend more than 30% of their gross income on housing.
Following a viewing of a Vox Media video on housing in California, CHAPA representatives, members of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments and housing advocates talked about exclusionary zoning policies, economic challenges unique to this region, parking needs, and other barriers that keep people from building affordable housing.
“Even though Conway was a town with a lot of second houses for people, it feels like more of the homes that are here are unoccupied a lot of the time,” said Conway Planning Board Chair Beth Girshman. “Additionally, in the hilltowns in general, things that maybe previously were rental units seem to be short-stay vacation units. I think that exacerbates the problem.”
She said Conway changed its zoning to double the potential capacity of housing on a single lot, but officials still have concerns about detached accessory dwelling units.
“Several of us remain concerned there wouldn’t be a way to make sure we had the outcome we were hoping for, by increasing housing for people who can’t afford anything else, or people who were elderly and wanted to downsize,” Girshman said.
Jerry Lund of the Opioid Task Force of Franklin County and the North Quabbin Region expressed disappointment with communities — namely Greenfield and Montague — for not being more proactive in reusing existing structures, such as the Farren Care Center, to support “badly needed” housing. He said he is curious to see what happens with the former National Guard Armory in Greenfield, which was sold at auction last month.
Susan Worgaftik, a member of Housing Greenfield, spoke about septic systems as a barrier to increasing housing. In smaller communities, where everyone uses septic systems, a new system must be set up for every new development.
“If you want to see a community go against a new project, just ask them to pay for something they can’t use,” Worgaftik said.
Linke acknowledged that much of the research that currently exists on the subject of affordable housing isn’t geared toward rural areas.
“There are many components that are going to be specific to you all,” she said.
Making progress, she said, requires the involvement of municipal officials as well as community advocates. Municipal officials should foster coalition-building efforts, host community conversations on housing and racism, and manage public meetings to support inclusion.
Shaundell Diaz of the Three County Continuum of Care, which seeks to end homelessness in Franklin, Hampshire and Berkshire counties, said it’s also important to advance landlord engagement and their understanding of different types of housing, as well as the funding avenues available to them. On the other end, she said it’s important to include people — including people of color — who have been through a variety of situations, such as eviction and housing insecurity.
“That’s the only way you’re going to make it work,” Diaz said.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne.