Back in May, the Planning Board of Northampton approved a five-story, 54-apartment building to be built on Hawley Street, near the downtown core. This development would help to create additional spaces for people who want to move to or stay in Northampton, create further density and provide for an opportunity to help Northampton reduce car dependency.
Despite the Planning Board’s approval, intense vocal opposition has sprung up in the neighborhood. Local residents, joined by City Councilor Quaverly Rothenberg, have argued against its size and apparent aesthetic characteristics, and fear mongered about congestion and added parking, all without offering any alternatives. They argue this despite the fact that many homes were built in the early 1800s, with some possibly beyond their original shelf life. Some residents are even threatening to circumvent the democratic process and take legal action to prevent the apartments from being constructed.
If opposition to this development is truly based on the contrasting look to the older, historical homes in the neighborhood, then why not push for an alternative design that matches older architectural styles? If opposition is truly based on concerns on added parking, why not propose adding public transit and bike lanes in the city? What are these residents, including Councilor Rothenberg, so afraid of?
Northampton has long been touted as the so-called “Paradise of America,” a place where people along societal margins are accepted for who they are, and can live without fear of retaliation from bigotry. This reputation is partially deserved, but ultimately undercut by opposition to denser housing. If Northampton were truly a paradise, it would be more proactive in developing housing and changing zoning codes, so more people can move to and feel welcome in the city. Part of being an inclusive community must include the embrace of added developments, so marginalized residents can live there without fear of being priced out and competing with others for housing, and alleviating the ongoing shortage the region faces.
Growing up in Amherst, with its own stubbornness in building, I used to assume Northampton was more comfortable with itself regarding housing and sense of community. Over time, I learned they have their own insecurities concerning their identity. Northampton residents have a habit of going into a collective panic whenever even a few storefronts become vacant for a period of time, which subsides as soon as these storefronts are filled with something new. If there were more housing and other development built in Northampton, more spaces built in the city would mean cheaper rents for local businesses and residents could more easily stay in the city long-term, and maybe end the cyclical vacancy panics.
In contrast to Northampton residents’ opposition to the Hawley Street development, Brattleboro, Vermont, just 45 minutes away, is proactively more self-aware and comfortable in its own skin as a small town, and in solving housing and development problems. While Brattleboro might be significantly smaller in population relative to Northampton, they have made incredible strides in solving their housing shortages. Town officials changed their zoning codes to allow single-family homes to be converted into duplexes and triplexes, permit backyard cottages throughout the town, and legalize starter homes without exception. The town is also working on abolishing parking mandates for housing.
Many communities in western Massachusetts, including Northampton and Amherst, could learn some critical lessons from Brattleboro in changing zoning codes to add various kinds of housing. There is growing recognition that there is simply not enough housing in western Massachusetts for those who want to make the region home, and for locals to stay, and real progress is being made to build more housing, including in Amherst, Greenfield, and Easthampton.
Part of solving ongoing housing shortages means we must accept newer, denser housing in our neighborhoods, and accept having new neighbors to help replenish our communities. This also includes electing people to public office who understand that embracing change and growth, while often scary at first, is necessary to solve the housing shortage, and ensure Northampton and other cities and towns become more inclusive and progressive in practice for people to feel comfortable expressing themselves as they are.
Eric Cochrane, formerly of Amherst, lives in Somerville.