Holyoke housing authority outlines mixed rental and homeownership plan; Northampton commissioners consider local lessons

Interim Executive Director Mr. Mainville of the Holyoke Housing Authority described a multi‑phase redevelopment program Monday night, saying the agency used federal, state and local funding to convert older public housing into new rental and homeownership units and is now building modular duplexes and applying for low‑income housing tax credits for a third phase.

The presentation matters because Holyoke’s approach combined large grants, public‑private partnerships and housing authority developer fees to stretch capital and produce both rental and permanently restricted homeownership opportunities — a model Northampton commissioners said they wanted to study for local application.

Mr. Mainville told the Northampton Housing Authority board the agency received a HOPE VI grant of $15,000,000 that it leveraged into roughly $47,000,000 of total development funding and used those and other resources to produce a mix of rental and homeownership units. He described the Lyman Terrace redevelopment, modular construction for new homeownership duplexes and a MassWorks infrastructure grant used to replace water mains and streets around an existing park.

“[We] received a $15,000,000 HOPE VI grant and leveraged it into about $47,000,000,” Mr. Mainville said. He also described a smaller, later phase that produced 12 rental units through a state program and drew “over a thousand applications,” illustrating strong demand for affordable housing in Western Massachusetts.

Board members from Northampton asked how—and whether—similar development could work locally. Commissioner Jeff Jones said the presentation showed a proactive approach the city should consider: “We’ve been playing defense for too long, and this looks like this is something we can do.” Commissioner Healy, who said she worked in Holyoke decades ago, called the results “an incredible increase in quality of life.”

Mr. Mainville said the authority had used a mix of funding sources: state community‑scale housing funds, city ARPA and HOME funds, predevelopment support from CDAC, and federal programs such as RAD (Rental Assistance Demonstration) to reposition older public housing. He described phase two as 20 duplex homeownership units under construction using modular building methods, and said the authority has applied for a 40‑unit Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) round for a later phase. He also said the authority administers a buyer assistance program that provides up to $4,999 toward closing costs and runs HUD‑ and state‑certified homeownership training.

Commissioner Ben Wood asked whether Northampton’s relative affluence would help or hurt competitiveness for state and federal grants. Mr. Mainville said there are tradeoffs: higher local incomes can improve debt capacity, while other grants prioritize investment in lower‑income gateway cities; crafting a development finance package, he said, requires combining local will, board commitment and a tailored mix of grants and loans. “Every development activity in every community has ups and downs,” he said.

Commissioners, including Maureen Tarbutton‑Springfield and others, praised the tenant‑centered approach Mr. Mainville described and urged the Northampton Housing Partnership and local nonprofits to study the model. Several commissioners noted learning opportunities from Holyoke’s experience with master planning, modular construction and using developer fees to seed future projects.

Resident representatives at the meeting raised operational questions about ventilation, door buzzers/intercoms and mini‑split installations at local properties; Mr. Mainville said he would follow up and offered to meet on site.

The presentation closed with Mr. Mainville encouraging interested applicants to apply for upcoming homeownership lotteries and to use the authority’s applicant webpage and counseling services. Commissioners agreed to continue conversations about whether and how elements of Holyoke’s model could be adapted for Northampton.

Less urgent but relevant details from the presentation: Holyoke reported using modular construction to speed unit delivery, partnered with Habitat for Humanity on several homeownership units, and said the city’s MassWorks infrastructure grant was the largest awarded to the authority on its first try. Officials emphasized energy‑efficient construction and green standards in current and planned work.