TCB support Village Hill North Commons WF10-25-2019
October 25, 2019
Ms. Janelle Chan, Undersecretary
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 300
Boston, MA 02108
RE: North Commons at Village Hill, Northampton, MA
Dear Undersecretary Chan:
I am pleased to add Planning & Sustainability’s support of The Community Builders’ North
Commons application. TCB’s proposed 53 mixed‐income units in a passive house building will
advance the city’s vision for mixed‐income units with green construction.
As the last major residential project at the former Northampton State Hospital, this project
helps us achieve exactly the mix of density, mixed‐income, and green residential construction
that we have been planning and working for over two decades. We are proud of transforming
the former state hospital into the dense mixed‐use Village Hill. This village is within walking
distance of our downtown, with housing at every level of the income bracket, from a homeless
shelter to mixed‐income to some of highest‐end housing in the city.
After reviewing several MassWorks‐eligible projects, this summer Mayor David J. Narkewicz
identified North Commons as our top priority and directed us to apply to MassWorks for
infrastructure to serve North Commons. We believe in and are committed to North Commons.
TCB has already been a dependable partner at Village Hill. We look forward to this newest
project. I am excited to help support this next stage in the state hospital redevelopment and
support TCB’s request for financing from the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
Thank you very much for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Wayne Feiden, FAICP
Director of Planning & Sustainability