Valley CDC 737 Bridge Rd Support Letter (1)October 22, 2022
Carolyn Misch, Director
City of Northampton, Office of Planning & Sustainability
210 Main Street, 2nd Floor
Northampton, MA 01060
Via email to cmisch@northamptonma.gov
RE: Application for Zoning permit for Valley CDC’s 737 Bridge Road Project
Dear Ms. Misch:
I am writing in support of the Zoning Permit for Prospect Place, Valley CDC’s redevelopment of the former Northampton Nursing Home at 737 Bridge Road, into 60 affordable family apartments.
This project will provide much needed affordable housing to families priced out of Northampton’s rental market, and at the same time replace a long-vacant building with a well-designed,
energy-efficient building that is integrated into its surroundings.
The need for additional housing, especially affordable housing, is growing. According to the UMASS Donahue Institute’s “Springfield & Pioneer Valley Housing Phase II Report” in January
2022, by 2025, the Pioneer Valley needs an additional 19,000 units by 2025 to meet demand, with more than 3,500 of these homes needed in Hampshire County. The Report further found
that over 50% of renters in the Pioneer Valley are housing cost burdened.
I’ve lived in Northampton for more than 30 years and am very familiar with Valley CDC’s work. I’m currently the Director of Housing at the Massachusetts Association of Community Development
Corporations, and in that role am well aware that officials the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) think highly of Valley CDC and its work. Valley CDC’s
projects regularly receive funding awards from DHCD in its highly competitive rental rounds. I also served as one of the original Community Preservation Committee members in Northampton,
as the appointee of then-Mayor Higgins, and had the opportunity to review many affordable housing projects submitted during the four years I served, including projects submitted by
Valley CDC. I thus am well familiar with their great work.
I’ll add that, among housing professionals, Valley CDC’s Real Estate Development Director Laura Baker is widely acknowledged as one of the most effective CDC affordable housing practitioners
in the entire Commonwealth. Along with Valley CDC’s other capable real estate staff, its strong leadership, and its active and committed Board of Directors, Valley CDC is a treasured
resource serving our community.
For all of these reasons, I urge you to approve Valley CDC’s permit application for Prospect Place. If you have any questions or would like additional information, feel free to contact
me at (413) 695-4390 or at donsbianchi@gmail.com. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
/
Don Bianchi
13 Munroe Street, Apt. 1
Northampton, MA 01060