State funds to bolster affordable housing in region >Published: 7/18/2021 12:11:45 AM
AMHERST – The region will be getting 88 new affordable apartments in Amherst and South Hadley, and 37 existing apartments in Holyoke will be preserved, through a statewide infusion of $139 million in funding and tax credits announced by the Baker-Polito Administration last week.
“As Massachusetts continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we continue to prioritize new affordable housing development to help our most vulnerable families,” Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement announcing the money.
The awards, through the Department of Housing and Community Development, with federal and state low-income housing tax credits and subsidy funds, will assist with the development of 1,526 new rental units across the state, including 1,346 rental units that are affordable for low- and extremely low-income households.
Mass Gov Baker-Polito Administration Announces $139M to Produce 1,346 Units of Affordable Rental Housing
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Zoning changes to mandate more affordable housing in Amherst
Amherst Town Hall GAZETTE FILE PHOTO
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST As Amherst continues to miss its goal of developing around 50 affordable housing units annually, town planners are crafting zoning revisions requiring developers to include homes in their projects for low- and moderate-income households.
In what members of the Planning Department describe as a significant amendment, all development of townhouses, apartments, mixed-use buildings and planned unit residential developments, or PURDs, with more than nine units, will be required to include affordable units as well as market-rate housing.
“This is a really big change,” Senior Planner Nathaniel Malloy told the Town Council during a presentation this week.