I am writing to voice my support for the proposed zoning changes that Councilor Otis Wheeler and Councilor Tim Dolan recently brought to the Greenfield City Council.
When I moved to Greenfield nearly eight years ago, I was the single mom of a four-year-old struggling to start my own business. I worried that I might not find housing I could afford. But on my first day of apartment-hunting, I had the good fortune of finding one of the most affordable rents in town: a beautiful, two-bedroom apartment for $750/month at the Old Poor Farm House on Glenbrook Drive. Although I do not know much about the early history of this house, I do know that it was built before Social Security to provide housing to our poorest residents: Greenfield’s original affordable housing.
When I first moved here, I didn’t realize how lucky I was to find this 12-unit house on the outskirts of Greenfield. But now that I better understand the current housing crisis — boy was I lucky. Largely because I had housing I could afford, I was able to reinvest in my business as it grew, and I’ve gone from being severely financially insecure to doing quite well.
Now that I have a much stronger financial foundation under my feet, I dream about building a new home for my family. When I dream about the type of house I’d love to build, I think of the Netherlands, where I was an exchange student 22 years ago. The Netherlands is the third-most densely populated county in the world, and they cope with this density quite well. Most families I knew lived in row houses with only one parking space and tiny garden spaces in front and back. Kids bike to school, parents to work. Neighbors span the income spectrum and know one another. Community is easier to build. I don’t know about you, but I think it would be a lot of fun to live in a row house!
Early development in Greenfield was very much along the lines of the Dutch model: small, efficient, affordable, dense houses with small yards, walkable to downtown. Hope Street, Franklin Street and Davis Street are all examples of this kind of development. Unfortunately, changes made to Greenfield’s zoning laws in the mid-20th century dictate an excessive use of space, now making it far too expensive for most people of my generation to build a new home. Largely because of this, although I now earn an income that sustains my family, my dream of building a home for my family is far out of reach. Greenfield was designed to be dense. It’s time to bring it back to the original density so that working and middle-class people of my generation can have the opportunity to build homes.
The fact that I am not yet a homeowner has a ripple effect: 1) I am currently living in what could be affordable housing for a lower-income family, and 2) I am not yet paying property taxes and adding to the tax base. The proposed zoning changes are, therefore, smart from both a humanitarian and fiscal perspective. More new homes lead to less homelessness and more tax revenue, creating a solution that progressives and conservatives alike can agree on.
The point is, Greenfield needs more affordable housing, and there are many ways to make this happen. The proposed zoning changes are one of the simplest and lowest-cost options. Two of the proposed zoning changes would allow for three-family housing by right and would make accessory dwelling units easier to build. These units might not be as dense as the Poor Farm House (though that would be great), but they would increase the affordable housing stock that is available to young, low-income families. The two other proposed zoning changes would allow for more dense development in our densest residential zones by decreasing lot size and parking requirements, creating more affordable, inclusive neighborhoods that are closer to the Dutch equivalent.
Rather than leaving our less affluent residents unable to purchase homes at best and homeless at worst, I believe that Greenfield is ready to become a more affordable, inclusive community for all.
This is why I urge our city councilors to vote yes in support of the zoning changes put forth by Councilor Wheeler and Councilor Dolan. Thank you.
Katherine Golub is a resident of Greenfield.