EASTHAMPTON — A national developer has proposed a $45 million, 90-unit, affordable housing complex near Mountain View School, adding another major project to Easthampton’s growing residential landscape.
The project was first presented to the public at the Community Preservation Act (CPA) Committee’s July 16 meeting, where attendees weighed concerns about the potential impacts of such a project against a current need for more housing — a discussion that has become increasingly common in the city as local developments continue to pop up.
“There’s a lots of concerns,” resident Bob Peirent said at the meeting, citing traffic, drainage and stormwater issues.
Proposed by the NRP Group — a Cleveland, Ohio-based housing developer, builder and property manager — the project consists of five, three-story buildings spanning four parcels at 6 South St. The roughly 11.5-acre site is surrounded by residential housing. According to the project application, the plans also feature an additional building designated for offices, maintenance space and a community room.
Jonathan Gertman, senior vice president of the NRP Group, presented the proposal to the CPA Committee as part of its $500,000 grant request. CPA money can be used for affordable housing, open space, historic preservation and recreation.
“Seeing all the excellent development work that you are doing here to build housing and meet the affordability challenges that are certainly not unique to this area, we thought it seemed like a great opportunity to do something kind of unique and special,” Gertman said.
Among the buildings, there will be 30 one-bedroom, 45 two-bedroom and 15 three-bedroom units available to households earning between 30% and 80% of the area median income (AMI), with a total of 135 parking spaces. Expected monthly rents range from $739 to $1,971 for one-bedroom units; $888 to $2,368 for two-bedroom units; and $1,026 to $2,736 for three-bedroom units.
“Our goal is to transform this underused property into a vibrant, sustainable and inclusive residential community that meets a critical local housing need,” the application states.
Gertman said the NRP Group is in contract with the owners of the land, the Serio family, and the group will gain long-term ownership of the property. The owner of the land listed is John Serio, according to records from the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
The application requests that the CPA Committee expedite its review process so the applicant can submit its funding applications to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities ahead of late-November deadlines, which also require City Council approval.
However, the CPA Committee did not take action on the request. Committee Chair Scott Cavanaugh said that projects like this typically secure Planning Board approval before coming to the CPA Committee.
“We [Easthampton] have a really strong history of funding affordable housing,” Cavanaugh said at the meeting. “We recognize that the community needs affordable housing and typically when we’ve done that, those projects have gone through a lot of different approvals before we get here.”
Past allocations to receive CPA grants include $200,000 to the Treehouse Foundation in 2023; $600,000 to the 385 Main St. development and $300,000 to the One Ferry Street project, both in 2024; and $100,000 to the Tasty Top development in 2025.
Gertman said the group plans to submit an application with the Planning Board before the next CPA Committee meeting on Sept. 17, where funds are expected to be designated. Committee member Dan Rist acknowledged the tight timeline, noting that the Planning Board would take the time to review the project, but emphasized the high demand for affordable housing.
“Our job on the CPA, the number one thing the state said is (promoting) affordable housing,” Rist said. “So if the Planning Board does approve this, I will work very hard to get this committee to approve it.”
Attending residents shared a range of concerns, particularly regarding a potential increase in traffic next to Mountain View School. Others worried about environmental impacts and drainage runoff on abutting properties, with multiple people stating there is a vernal pool on the site. According to the application, site evaluations for traffic, environmental impacts and stormwater drainage began in early July.
The NRP Group was expected to hold a community meeting on Wednesday at the Easthampton Public Safety Complex. City Councilor Amanda Newton, who represents Precinct 4 where the project is proposed, said Gertman reached out to her prior to submitting the application to “get a sense of the community.” Newton has since met with several residents to discuss their concerns.
“I do think it’s important to share that he (Gertman) did reach out ahead of time and that showed me that he is taking this seriously and does care about the community,” Newton said.
