Housing Greenfield Meeting Notes – 07/14/2025

Present: Susan Worgaftik, Peg Hall, Pamela Goodwin, Lexi Turner, Wisty Rorabacher, Nancy Hazard, Carol Letson, Dorothy McIver, Jen Hale, Amy Cahillane, Edie Heinemann, Jack Redman, Mike Mullin, Brace Rennels, Nan Sibley, Louise Amyot, Sara Brown, Pat Leuchtman, Shaundell Diaz, Rachel Gordon

DISCUSSION

Rental Housing Survey—Sara Brown
       Sara presented slides and a commentary about the survey. They can be found at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Wu3hRAY55THxVNVxQMYnKtej4wm1sKmHyURvaQpc90Q/edit?slide=id.p#slide=id.p

She found houses that were in questionable shape and others that were not listed on the assessor’s list which she was using as the base of the study. The detailed information has been sent to the Mayor’s Office and was distributed to the Health Department, the Assessor’s Office and the Building Inspector.

GBA Presentation Update—Susan Worgaftik
       The presentation before the GBA on what affordable housing is and is not went well. There were lots of good questions. We found that a conversational format, as opposed to a more lecture style, worked very well. Overall, it was a good start to the educational work that Charity, Jessa and Susan are beginning to plan.

Hope Street Lot Status and Next Steps—Susan Worgaftik and Wisty Rorabacher
       Wisty, Judy Draper and Susan appeared before the City Council Economic Development Committee in support of making 53 Hope Street city surplus with the purpose of making it available for housing development. By making the property surplus, the city can then open it up for proposals from interested developers. Amy Cahillane described several aspects of the draft request for proposals:

• The developers will have to provide a parking plan
• There will be no restriction on income levels for this development; although it is likely that there will be some apartments that will be affordable (the economics of developing in our area points in that direction)
• The developers are free to offer a mixed-use housing plan which could include some commercial space, particularly on the first floor

There will be a community discussion about the content of the request for proposals before it goes out to possible developers where such issues as green space and accessibility will be considered.

The Economic Development Committee of the Council voted unanimously to support making 53 Hope Street surplus for the purpose of building housing. The proposal to make 53 Hope Street surplus will be going before the City Council on July 16th. Since the Economic Development Committee meeting, some opposition has developed. This opposition is concerned about the development being solely for very low-income people. As a result, there is now a push to keep it as a parking lot. Susan asked that as many Housing Greenfield members as possible attend the July 16th City Council meeting and express support for the housing plan for 53 Hope Street and that folks also send emails to the Council demonstrating their support.

Zoning Changes—Amy Cahillane
       At the City Council Economic Development Committee meeting Councilor Helie presented a new formulation for the Main Street area in regard to how the mix of commercial and housing should occur in this area. There is a concern that was brought forward by Councilor Mastrototaro that we could lose the commercial parts of downtown because it is easier to develop housing right now than build or maintain commercial space. Councilor Mastrototaro proposed very broad boundaries for this concept. The proposal by Councilor Helie is more modest. It will be discussed at the July 16th City Council meeting, but not voted on. In August, there will be a joint EDC/Planning Board meeting for discussion and voting and the proposal will then be voted on at the August City Council meeting. The language that Councilor Helie is proposing is:

(18) Multi-family dwelling in accordance with—200-40, Subsection B (1.4-9) All multi-family developments within the following areas of the Central Commercial District shall be mixed residential/business uses: Main Street from Fort Square East to Franklin Street, Federal Street from Main Street to Pleasant Street, and all of Bank Row.

REPORTS

Preventing Foreclosure-Susan Worgaftik
       Susan met with Cassie Morrey, Chris Pike, and AJ Bresciano of Greenfield Savings Bank to discuss what their foreclosure policies are and how they work. She was impressed with their thoroughness and efforts to make sure that foreclosure is the last resort. They agreed that a pilot project in collaboration with Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authorities housing retention team might be a good idea to explore. Susan, Tana Bloom and Emmalyn Hicks from FCRHRA and Chris Pike will be meeting on July 16th to discuss this possibility.

City Council Unhoused Task Force—Pamela Goodwin and Sara Brown
      There is a great need to figure out an appropriate and safe camping site for the unhoused population. Most campsites right now are in flood zones. This is not safe or sanitary and the Task Force is looking at both public and private property for solutions. There is a project in Portland, OR, that is under an independent, not for profit organization, which provides its own insurance and works with the city to provide the needed amenities. This would take liability away from the city which is an important issue. Among the things that the Task Force is working on is a map that provides information that allows folks to live outdoors in a safer way by marking such areas as cooling centers, etc. They are also doing a survey of the unhoused population to find out what their top priorities are. Pamela McBride at the library is a great resource and has been very helpful. The Sheriff’s Department is helping with the clean-up of debris that occurred from the last flood. The Task Force is also interested in building a sense of community between housed and unhoused residents.

Summer Get Together—Susan Worgaftik
       Our summer get together will be on Monday, August 11th. It will start at 5. It will be at Susan’s house, 45 Forest Avenue in Greenfield. And we will do a free form potluck….and expect that the meal will work out. Please RSVP to Susan so she will know how many chairs she needs..suworg@gmail.com

We hope to see you there!!!