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Great Barrington trust backs Year‑Round Housing Trust; votes to send letter to selectboard and manager
Summary
The Affordable Housing Trust unanimously voted to send a letter to the Selectboard and Town Manager expressing general support for establishing a Year‑Round Housing Trust Fund under the state’s Seasonal Communities designation; Trustee Peter Most presented a memorandum outlining authorities, funding opportunities, and next steps including SCGP grant eligibility and zoning changes required by the statute.
The Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust voted unanimously June 18 to ask the Selectboard and Town Manager to consider establishing a Year‑Round Housing Trust Fund under the Affordable Homes Act’s Seasonal Communities designation.
Trustee Peter Most presented a detailed memorandum that summarized the legal framework and practical implications of the designation. The memo explains that the designation permits towns to create a Year‑Round Housing Trust Fund (YRHTF), a legally distinct entity that can serve both traditional "affordable" households and a newly authorized "attainable" band that reaches households up to 250% of Area Median Income (AMI). For a four‑person household, 250% AMI was cited in the memorandum as roughly $271,000 at current HUD figures; the YRHTF can therefore target working households who earn too much for conventional subsidized housing but are priced out of the local market.
The memorandum outlines governance and program rules: a YRHTF requires a Town Meeting vote to establish, a board of at least five trustees (including the town’s chief executive officer or designee as an ex‑officio member), and an annual independent audit. The final regulations (760 CMR 76.00) also authorize tools such as year‑round occupancy restrictions, zoning mandates that allow tiny homes and undersized lots as‑of‑right, and a workforce housing preference for essential public employees (teachers, public works, public safety, municipal administrators) that must comply with federal and state fair‑housing law.
On funding, the memo said Great Barrington becomes eligible for the Fiscal Year 2027 Seasonal Communities Grant Program (SCGP), a formula, non‑competitive grant expected after July 1, 2026; based on the town’s year‑round population the memorandum estimated an award in the $125,000–$175,000 range. The memo also warned that the statute does not create a permanent local revenue stream for a YRHTF; without new revenue the trust would depend on one‑time SCGP grants, short‑term rental impact fees, CPA co‑investment, annual Town Meeting appropriations, and private philanthropy.
Trustees moved to send a letter expressing general support for a Year‑Round Affordable Housing Trust to the Selectboard and Town Manager; Trustee Ananda Timpane made the motion, Trustee Bill Cooke seconded it, and the motion passed unanimously. Trustees discussed next steps recommended in the memorandum: engaging the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to explore a regional trust, preparing an SCGP application when the NOFA is issued, coordinating zoning amendments for tiny homes and undersized lots for submission to Town Meeting, and possible legislative advocacy (for example, pursuing authority for a real‑estate transfer fee) to create a sustainable revenue stream.
Next steps: the Trust will send the letter and monitor the SCGP NOFA expected after July 1, 2026. The memorandum recommended additional actions for summer–fall 2026 (BRPC engagement and regional outreach) and for FY27 (prepare warrant articles establishing a YRHTF and zoning changes).
