Pittsfield Housing Development Seeks Local, State Incentives

There is a proposal to turn the office building at 100 Wendell (seen via Google Maps) into 28 units of mixed-income housing. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Mayor Linda Tyer is requesting an amendment to the Housing Development Zone and a 10-year tax increment exemption for a proposed housing development on Wendell Avenue.

786 Holdings LLC wants to convert a commercial building at 100 Wendell Ave. into 28 units of mixed-income rental. The "Pointe" will contain six units of affordable rental housing and 22 units of market-rate rental housing. The $3.8 million redevelopment would bring the assessed value of the property from about $517,000 to more than $1.8 million.

Proposed initial monthly rents range from $999 for a studio to $1,225 for a two-bedroom unit.

"In order for this project to be eligible for assistance through the (Housing Development Incentive Program,) the City must amend the current HD Zone to include the 100 Wendell Avenue property," Tyer wrote in a communication on Tuesday night's City Council agenda.

"In reviewing the existing parcels surrounding the HDIP Zone, the City is also including the parcel at 55 Linden Street as it has the potential for housing development."

The TIE would provide 100 percent forgiveness on new residential property taxes in year one and decrease by 10 percent each year over 10 years. The estimated value of the TIE is just over $147,000 and the city would receive taxes on the original value of the property during construction.

The HDIP program requires the local government to provide a TIE for the project

The program, which is administered through the state Department of Housing and Community Development, was credited during Gov. Maura Healey's visit to Pittsfield last week for aiding the development of multiple housing units.

The HDIP provides two tax incentives to developers to undertake new construction or substantial rehabilitation of properties for lease or sale as multi-unit market-rate residential housing: The local tax exemption in gateway cities and a state tax credit of up to $2 million, for which the annual cap was increased from $10 million to $57 million in a $1 billion tax package signed by Healey earlier this month.

A second amendment to the HDIP zone was approved on Nov. 15, 2016, to add the PowerHouse Lofts project located at the former Holy Family Church to the HDIP Zone, allowing the church to be converted into market-rate housing. An amendment to the zone to include Tyler Street was approved in May 2017 and in September 2020, the city amended the zone to include a parcel on East Street to include the Eastview Apartments, the conversion of a former church building into 27 units of rental housing with one affordable unit included.

Pittsfield City Council Weighs in on 'Crisis' in Public Schools

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
08:59PM / Monday, December 23, 2024

A half-dozen people addressed the City Council from the floor of Monday's meeting, including Valerie Anderson, right.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After expressing anger and outrage and making numerous calls for accountability and transparency, the 11 members of the City Council on Monday voted to support the School Committee in seeking an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct by staff members at Pittsfield High School that have come to light in recent weeks.

 

At the close of a month that has seen three PHS administrators put on administrative leave, including one who was arrested on drug trafficking charges, the revelation that the district is facing a civil lawsuit over inappropriate conduct by a former teacher and that a staff member who left earlier in the year is also under investigation at his current workplace, the majority of the council felt compelled to speak up about the situation.

 

"While the City Council does not have jurisdiction over the schools … we have a duty to raise our voices and amplify your concerns and ensure this crisis is met with the urgency it demands," Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey said.

 

About two dozen community members attended the special meeting of the council, which had a single agenda item.

 

Four of the councilors precipitated the meeting with a motion that the council join the School Committee in its search for an investigation and that the council, "be included in the delivery of any disclosures, interim reports or findings submitted to the city."

 

Last week, the School Committee decided to launch that investigation. On Monday, City Council President Peter White said the School Committee has a meeting scheduled for Dec. 30 to authorize its chair to enter negotiations with the Springfield law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas to conduct that probe.

 

Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre, the principal author of the motion of support, was one of several members who noted that the investigation process will take time, and she, like Kavey, acknowledged that the council has no power over the public schools beyond its approval of the annual district budget.