Lois Ahrens: The final nail in the coffin of housing economic diversity

A home on Phillips Place that abuts the five story apartment complex being proposed by O’Connell Development group in Northampton. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
Published: 05-13-2025 12:36 PM |
Having watched the Planning Board meeting on April 24, I wasn’t even a little surprised to read of the approval of the huge complex of buildings on State Street. (“Planners OK five-story housing development for St. Mary’s Church site, concerns aired over Hawley Street apartment building,” Gazette, April 29). Planners seemed more concerned about the placement of dumpsters, curb cuts and space for bikes than about the massive buildings on State Street and the jail-look alike behemoth on Phillips Place. It seemed like the final nail in the coffin of any pretense about the importance of “diversity,” including economic diversity in Northampton. According to developers O’Connell and Sunwood, they are doing a community service by building 125 “market rate” apartments, with rents starting at $2,000 for a 450 square foot apartment; “market rate” meaning what the market will bear. At the hours long meeting, someone mentioned affordable housing for perhaps a minute or so. Several cities now require a percentage of new apartment buildings must be set aside for affordable housing priced below market rates. High rent cities like Boston, New York, Washington, Pittsburgh provide tax incentives to developers. Somerville and Cambridge require 20% of larger buildings be affordable. Northampton is now a high rent city. With the green light given to one and possibly two massive apartment buildings, now is the time for the mayor, City Council the planning department and candidates to begin developing plans to incorporate a percentage of affordable apartments in new projects.
Lois Ahrens
Northampton