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Lined up to the cut the ribbon (held inside because of rain) were Clark Zeigler of the Massachusetts Housing Parnership Fund, left, state Reps. Paul Mark and Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Mayor Daniel Bianchi, Gov. Deval Patrick, housing Housing Deputy Undersecretary Arthur Jemison, Deanna Ruffer and developer Jon Rudzinski.
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Before and after pictures of Rice Silk Mill.
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Gov. Deval Patrick takes questions after the dedication.
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A long hallway in the mill.
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The kitchen in a ground-floor apartment.
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Elements such as the beams and original flooring were exposed as part of the design.
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Large windows look out onto Spring Street.
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The main entrance into the development; management offices and an exercise room are off the lobby.

Pittsfield Cited for Leadership in Housing Development

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
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Gov. Deval Patrick used the celebration of the Rice Silk Mill affordable housing project to announce the city was the first to qualify for the new Housing Development Incentive Program.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield is once again leading the the state in building platforms for economic growth

Gov. Deval Patrick took the opportunity at Friday's celebration of the completion of the $15 million Rice Silk Mill affordable housing project to announce that the city had the first project in the commonwealth to qualify for the new Housing Development Incentive Program.

"Pittsfield is leading the whole commonwealth on this project in using resources available to all Gateway cities to invest in downtown-oriented housing to support access to small businesses and breathe new life into communities," Patrick said, who admitted to having "a warm spot in my heart for this part of the commonwealth."

"It doesn't surprise me one bit that Pittsfield is leading, you have great leadership here."

The city created a Housing Development Zone (the Downtown Arts Overlay District and Plunkett School) earlier this year as part of the application to support the $11 million Onota/Howard project. Developer Allegrone Construction is now qualifed to take advantage of state tax credits as an incentive for its investment developing 39 market-rate housing units and 10 retail spaces in the buildings at 124-132 Fenn St. and 64-74 North St.

The program offers a local option real estate tax exemption and a state tax credit for 10 percent of eligible costs, up to $1 million. Read the full press release here.

The governor and Arthur Jemison, deputy undersecretary for the Department of Housing and Community Development and Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund Executive Director Clark Zeigler  joined with current and past city councilors, representatives of the Morningside neighborhood and new Silk Mill tenants for a ribbon cutting to mark the reconstruction of the 132-year-old mill.

Once the workplace of hundreds of Morningside residents, the building now hosts 45 residential units of one to three bedrooms targeted to working families.

"This was a great historical mill," said Mayor Daniel Bianchi. "Over the decades it has supported hundreds of family. This project is going to do marvelous things for the neighborhood."

The project was made possible through both public and private investment, much of it coming through the Department of Housing and Community Development. People's Bank and Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund were also critical to its success.

Clockwise from above, Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier lauded the community development office; Deputy Undersecretary Arthur Jemison was emcee; Mayor Daniel Bianchi gives a hand to Deanna Ruffer.
"I think people around here didn't think it was going to get done, I wasn't sure," joked Jon Rudzinski, principal of developer Rees-Larkin. He said the opportunities for such projects are dependent on the ability of public agencies and private investment to work together.

Rudzinski said elements critical to the project was the commitment by the state to encourage development through improved zoning and funding, pointing to the 40R designation, which makes permitting easier, and communities willing take chances.

"This is a city smart enough and progressive enough to jump onto the things the state government, particularly this administration, provides," he said. "This city has a long-term vision of what redevelopment means ... that's why this project is happening today."

The governor said there was a relationship between economic development and "thoughtful housing development."

"We're encouraging companies to plan jobs but we have to think about where people live," he said. "Pittsfield understands that. From the Colonial to the Barrington Stage, the city has been in the midst of an extraordinary revival."

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said teamwork at all levels — particularly the professionalism and dedication of the Office of Community Development — were key to getting the project off the ground.

With apologies to the governor, she said, "If there's one hero today it's Deanna Ruffer."

Ruffer, former community development director, traveled from her now job on Cape Cod for what she described as "a special day."

"This is an important project that took a lot of people a lot of years to put together," she said. "It's very important to what I believed in working with neighborhood initiatives and what I believed in terms of urban housing and to communities.

"It demonstrates that for many communities like Pittsfield, the combination of both market rate and affordable housing are equally important to the vitality of the community."

Tags: affordable housing,   Bianchi,   Deval Patrick,   economic development,   governor,   

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Letter: Is the Select Board Listening to Dalton Voters?

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

A reasonable expectation by the people of a community is that their Select Board rises above personal preference and represents the collective interests of the community. On Tuesday night [Nov. 12], what occurred is reason for concern that might not be true in Dalton.

This all began when a Select Board member submitted his resignation effective Oct. 1 to the Town Clerk. Wishing to fill the vacated Select Board seat, in good faith I followed the state law, prepared a petition, and collected the required 200-plus signatures of which the Town Clerk certified 223. The Town Manager, who already had a copy of the Select Board member's resignation, was notified of the certified petitions the following day. All required steps had been completed.

Or had they? At the Oct. 9 Select Board meeting when Board members discussed the submitted petition, there was no mention about how they were informed of the petition or that they had not seen the resignation letter. Then a month later at the Nov. 12 Select Board meeting we learn that providing the resignation letter and certified petitions to the Town Manager was insufficient. However, by informing the Town Manager back in October the Select Board had been informed. Thus, the contentions raised at the Nov. 12 meeting by John Boyle seem like a thinly veiled attempt to delay a decision until the end of January deadline to have a special election has passed.

If this is happening with the Special Election, can we realistically hope that the present Board will listen to the call by residents to halt the rapid increases in spending and our taxes that have been occurring the last few years and pass a level-funded budget for next year, or to not harness the taxpayers in town with the majority of the cost for a new police station? I am sure these issues are of concern to many in town. However, to make a change many people need to speak up.

Please reach out to a Select Board member and let them know you are concerned and want the Special Election issue addressed and finalized at their Nov. 25 meeting.

Robert E.W. Collins
Dalton, Mass.

 

 

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