AMHERST — A commitment of up to $137,500 from the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust will ensure that the 15 duplexes at Amherst Community Homes in North Amherst have their heating and cooling entirely powered by solar panels.
The trust on May 14 voted unanimously to approve, and exceed, the $125,000 request from Valley Community Development, allowing a $425,000 solar project proposed by PV Squared to move forward.
While rooftop solar was originally included in the $20.5 million first-time homebuyer development, located on 9 acres between Ball Lane and Pulpit Hill Road and just off Montague Road/Route 63, the panels had been removed as a cost-saving measure, said Jessica Allan, Valley’s real estate development director.
Since construction began in 2024 on the project aimed at building generational wealth, with the largest source of funding $7.5 million from the CommonWealth Builder program, Valley CDC has had to make frugal decisions in the field so that some money would remain in the contingency, Allan said.
The request to the trust only came after MassHousing, through the Executive Office of Livable Communities, committed $200,000 for the solar, using remaining American Rescue Plan Act money that has to be spent by the end of May. Valley is also pledging $100,000 that it has in the contingency fund.
“If we all put a little bit of skin in the game, we can get to an opportunity where we can add this piece back to the development project that we had to take out early on, because we just couldn’t afford it at the time,” Allan said.
Allan said not all electrical costs will be offset by the solar, but the heating and cooling alone should save each homeowner $100 per month, possibly more.
Still, Valley CDC Executive Director Alexis Breiteneicher said the development is considered critical wealth building and that while adding the solar may seem trivial, the savings can be the difference in residents being able to afford food and medicine. Ultimately, she said, it will be the people living there who benefit.
Originally, Valley CDC had hoped to get a $500,000 earmark for the solar from the state’s housing bond bill, but that money is not expected to be available, and there are no other immediate sources of funding.
“This is a unique project and a unique situation because it’s not a rental project, we’re just limited on where we can go,” Allan said.
Around $1.7 million is available in the town’s trust. The town has already provided about $1.5 million toward the development.
Trust member Karla Rasche said the request aligns with the town’s values of affordable housing and sustainability. “It’s just a further way to provide equity to people regardless of income,” Rasche said.
This is a great project, said trust member Bob Pomeroy. “It just deepens the affordability for all homeowners,” Pomeroy said.
Chairman Gaston de los Reyes said the trust was in a linchpin position to unlock the full potential for the project.
Both Rep. Mindy Domb and Sen. Jo Comerford put earmarks in the housing bond bill, but Domb, speaking for both legislators, told the trust that money is unlikely to be released.
“Though we have earmarks that would cover the cost, we haven’t been able to get them out of the bond,” Domb said.
The meeting also provided an opportunity to provide an update on how the development, with a passive design and all electric systems that are photovoltaic ready, is proceeding. Allan said the development, being built by general contractor Keiter Corp. of Florence, is 82% complete.
Amherst Community Homes is supported by the CommonWealth Builder program, which provides a subsidy for first-time homebuyers, looking to increase homeownership for Black, Indigenous and people of color communities and enhance generational wealth.
Those eligible to buy the homes can qualify by being at or below 80% to 100% of area median income. The homes will then be deed restricted for 30 years and can be sold back as market rate, unless the town preserves the affordability through its right of first refusal.
Valey CDC held a lottery in April and the future homeowners are now in the queue. A total of 72 applications were received and 53 were entered into the lottery. Of those, 36 were considered local preference, with 26 already living in Amherst, six working at local businesses, three with children in schools and one a municipal employee.
There were 17 minority applications, which Allan said was sufficient to ensure that a “minority balance” measure wasn’t needed.
“We have 30 homes, we have 53 applicants that are moving forward, so our hope is we’re able to sell all the homes in the sequencing and the schedule we’ve anticipated with our sales team,” Allan said.
DVM Housing Partners of Roxbury is the affirmative fair housing marketer, sending invitations to move forward to 18 to 20 applicants. Allan said DVM does the first pass for those who qualify, then these go to CHAPA, the Citizens Housing and Planning Agency, as the monitoring agent.
The first batch of finished homes will be sold in July, Allan said, though the certificate of occupancy for some of the duplexes will be issued this month.
