Advancing Complete Neighborhoods
Toward transit-oriented development
The major state economic development bill in 2021 that included the MBTA Communities law was about much more than zoning. It also included an array of funding to support transit-oriented development across the Commonwealth.
MHP is delivering those resources statewide through the Complete Neighborhoods Partnership (CNP), a program that works with communities to identify and implement strategies to accelerate investments in affordable housing near transit and mobility hubs.
Eleven communities were selected to participate in round one. Five were MBTA communities – Brockton, Chelsea, Fitchburg, Plainville, and North Attleborough. Six were from Franklin County - Erving, Greenfield, Montague, Orange, South Deerfield, and Whatley. All have Franklin County Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) bus line service.
Statewide effort
MHP has been working with these Franklin County communities since 2022 and progress so far is an illustration of the state’s commitment to supporting walkable, transit-oriented neighborhoods throughout the Commonwealth. Here’s a recap of MHP’s support so far:
Erving: Helped the town issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to build affordable housing on town land near its library, elementary school, senior center, and bus route. The regional non-profit Rural Development Inc. (RDI) was selected as the developer and hopes to build 18 affordable senior and eight workforce apartments.
Greenfield: In line with other city development efforts near the Olver Transit Center, MHP is working with a downtown business owner to study the feasibility of adding 18 to 27 units of housing to a two-story property at 176 Main Street. MHP is also supporting the assessment of a downtown parking lot for housing.
Montague: Helped the town engage the community in developing a vision for a new neighborhood on an 8-acre former nursing and rehab site that has been given to the town. The site is served by a bus route and regional bike network.
Orange: Explored the feasibility of redeveloping the former Orange Amory into affordable housing, which is near the town center and on an FRTA bus route.
South Deerfield: Helped the town create a housing vision for land on the town’s municipal campus.
Whately: Assessed the feasibility of vacant town-owned property.
The progress in Erving illustrates why it’s important to provide early development support to small towns that lack municipal capacity. Located off Route 2 just east of Greenfield, this little town of 1,700 acquired some land in the 1990s after an industrial park didn’t happen. A 2002 master plan identified the site as a possibility for senior housing. But there’s only so much a small town can do at one time and the first public buildings built on this land were a new senior center (2011) and library (2020).
MHP initially drafted an RFP for the town in 2018 and then revised and re-issued it in 2023. The selection of RDI as the developer is a major step toward Erving’s goal of having affordable housing on this site. “We couldn’t have done this without MHP,” said Town Manager Bryan Smith. “Not only did they help us with the technical parts of explaining what type of project would be financially feasible, they’ve helped us communicate with the community about the need for affordable housing.”
‘Once in a lifetime opportunity’
In nearby Montague, a town of five villages totaling a population of 8,500, MHP paid for a consultant to engage with the community in discussions about developing a vision for a new neighborhood at the Farren Care Center, a skilled nursing and rehab facility which has closed and will be given to the town after the owner demolishes it.
“What we’ve learned is that our seniors would like to downsize and continue to live here but say that their options are limited,” said Maureen Pollock, Montague’s town planner. “Residents have also said they would like to see not just housing, but also indoor and outdoor community spaces. And they want to see a mixture of rental and homeownership, both affordable and market-rate.”
Following these community conversations, the Montague Planning Board voted this spring to recommend to the Select Board that the zoning be amended to allow mixed uses on the site. This is another step forward in utilizing downtown land that doesn’t come along too often.
“There are a lot of advantages to this site,” said Pollock. “It’s on a main road. It has a lot of street frontage. It has public utilities and a FRTA bus stop in front of it. It also has bike lanes and sidewalks that connect the neighborhood with downtown Turners Falls, Canalside Rail Trail, and the City of Greenfield.”
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity,” added MHP Senior Development Manager Christine Madore, who leads the CNP program. “Montague now has a unique opportunity to envision a walkable village from the ground up.”
Check out the Montague City Village web page for more details. For more information about MHP’s Complete Neighborhood Partnership, read this story on communities selected for funding in round two.
“What we’ve learned is that our seniors would like to downsize and continue to live here but say that their options are limited.”
– Maureen Pollock