A welcome win for affordable housing in New Marlborough

OUR OPINION

As regional prospects for affordability and growth feel the squeeze of a housing crunch, smart plans for new units in the Berkshires is the sort of good news we’ll always welcome.

So we were pleased to hear that a $2 million boost from a subsidized mortgage and grants is pushing an ambitious affordable housing project in New Marlborough closer to fruition. Back in 2022, South County nonprofit Construct Inc. bought Cassilis Farm, a Gilded Age estate off Hartsville New Marlborough Road, with the goal of converting the unoccupied 23-room mansion into multiple residences to meet a growing regional need. The 13 units — 11 apartments plus two single-family homes on the 20-acre property — are slated to be occupant-ready by early 2026 and will be the town of New Marlborough’s first affordable housing units.

In 2020, New Marlborough’s Affordable Housing Committee released a report underscoring concerns we’ve heard from business leaders, officials and advocates across the county: It’s becoming exceedingly difficult to attract families, keep fixed-income folks in their hometowns and maintain a healthy workforce when there are very few housing units for them to live in and even fewer considered affordable. As we’ve stressed before, Berkshire stakeholders need to focus on creating as many units as we can. While the housing crunch is a statewide issue that is bigger than any one community, local leaders can and should pursue creative and ambitious plans to put some points on the board for affordable housing — because in a housing squeeze this tight, every unit counts, especially in towns whose affordable stock is low or nonexistent.

This affordable housing plan at Cassilis Farm exemplifies what’s possible when public, private and nonprofit interests put their heads together and their money where their mouth is to meet a local and regional need. This endeavor is another feather in the hat for Construct, a nonprofit that has been instrumental in growing affordable housing in South County. The town of New Marlborough has some skin in the game as well, investing a chunk of federal pandemic relief funds and wisely putting conditions on the special permit that limit impact (maintain the building’s Gilded Age facade, put up trees or fences to prevent excessive light hitting neighboring properties) without being needlessly onerous. The $2 million secured last week comes from a $1.2 million subsidized mortgage held by Greylock Federal Credit Union — one that is permanently paid for by the government after construction — and an $850,000 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program. In addition, part of the project was funded by the generosity of private donations.

That’s a lot of pieces, but the puzzle that community partners can put together in the end is well worth it; 13 affordable units in a town of 1,500 that previously had none is a win worth celebrating in the larger battle to make it easier to live in a county so many love to call home.

Too often have parochial and NIMBY attitudes tripped up or even tanked critical affordable housing projects throughout the Berkshires. We’re happy to see that’s not the case here, and we hope projects like the Cassilis Farm renovation signal shifting priorities for residents and officials of communities recognizing the need for an all-hands-on deck approach to beefing up housing stock.

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