EASTHAMPTON — After experiencing steep rent hikes last year, residents of the eight-unit 17 Adams St. building are seeking to purchase the property with the help of Greenfield-based Valley Housing Co-op, aiming to collectively own and manage it without a landlord.
If successful, 17 Adams would become the second property in the Pioneer Valley in recent years to convert from a rental complex to a tenant-owned cooperative, following the Valley Housing Co-op’s own building in Greenfield.
Ilene Roizman, a member of the 17 Adams Street Tenants Association, which formed last year, said the group is seeking funding to buy the property. She said housing cooperatives offer tenants an alternative way to manage their own homes without a landlord.
“The idea of buying the property is to take it out of the hands of corporate owners and to even avoid having a landlord, period,” Roizman said. “We want to show that another way of housing is possible.”
The property is currently listed for $1.195 million — $295,000 more than Hurricane Properties LLC paid for it in April 2025. A month after buying the complex, Hurricane Properties raised monthly rents 30-50%, though increases varied by unit. Roizman’s rent rose $250; resident Amy Mares saw hers jump from $1,415 to $1,850.
At the time, Hurricane Properties co-owner Patrick Burand sent an email to the Gazette explaining that the increases were intended to “offset the high costs of the building,” saying that $13,000 was invested for roof repairs, a fire monitoring system was upgraded and a handful of repairs were made.
The tenants pushed back against the increases, negotiating and agreeing upon a 7.5% increase. The 17 Adams association also helped form a larger, citywide group called the Easthampton Tenants Union last year.
Burand’s email also stated, “After learning of the financial hardships that this (the increases) would present to the residents, we have adjusted our approach and are working with these residents to find a rent solution that works for everyone.”
Hurricane Properties then put the property up for sale in April this year.
“(When) we learned that Hurricane had decided to sell the property, we thought, ‘OK, then we need to do something about it,'” Roizman said.
Massachusetts does not currently have tenant opportunity to purchase legislation, also known as TOPA, which gives tenants the right of first refusal when a property they live in is put up for sale. Several neighboring states like New York have TOPA legislation.
However, a version of TOPA is included in recently passed state Senate and House economic development bills that are currently being negotiated. Roizman said TOPA would give tenants like those at 17 Adams St. legal standing to make a first offer or match an outside offer. She added that there is no guarantee Hurricane Properties will accept an offer they make.
The 17 Adams association and Valley Housing Co-op are seeking multiple forms of funding, including a loan, a nonprofit financial partner and community donations. They have also submitted a $200,000 request to Easthampton’s Community Preservation Act Committee.
With the idea for a housing cooperative in mind, Roizman got in touch with the VHC, which currently leases two duplexes on 32 acres known as Stone Farm Land in Greenfield from the Valley Community Land Trust. Saul Shanabrook, co-founder of the VHC, said the 17 Adams St. property provides an opportunity to expand their mission.
“It’s always been our goal to be supportive to others in the community who are trying to transfer their home from a renter-owner model to resident self-ownership, and we’re happy to do that in a number of ways,” Shanabrook said about 17 Adams.
Shanabrook said there are many housing cooperative models, but the VHC uses a set of bylaws based on sociocracy, a governance system for organizations that seeks a fair and equal democratic process for members.
Shanabrook said the co-op has eight residents who pay rent and meet to vote on rent changes periodically. There are also currently about 15 non-resident members that still pay dues and have a say in decisions.
Finding a way to buy the property was a difficult and educational process, Shanabrook said. The property was bought by the Valley Community Land Trust for close to $1.2 million, with a majority of funding coming from the trust. Several other organizations provided loans and tenants made personal loans.
Tenants also raised more than $200,000 toward the purchase. Micha Josephy, executive director of the Cooperative Fund of the Northeast, one of the organizations that provided a loan to the VHC, said housing cooperatives have gained interest in recent years, but have been around for some time.
“We are seeing a burst now over the last few years and there is some sustained interest,” said Josephy, who previously developed a housing co-op in Boston. “I think that’s driven by the region’s really unaffordable housing situation.”
Josephy said it is crucial for cooperatives to develop relationships with various groups to get financial, maintenance and law assistance needed to own and maintain a property. The VHC hopes to help the 17 Adams association do the same.
“We can offer our relationships, we can help with the governance and they are bringing the energy, community connections,” Shanabrook said about 17 Adams. “We’re just trying to be a service for them because they deserve to live in safe housing.”
Roizman said if the building is purchased by VHC and the 17 Adams association, it will likely follow the same model as VHC, though it is still early in the process. She said that 17 Adams already follows a cooperative style.
“We’re not random neighbors who happen to live together, asking for money. We live here, we care about each other and we want to protect our shared home,” Roizman said. “We want to show what can be done when tenants work together for everybody’s benefit.”
