Building the Future

The Need for New Housing as Stockbridge Moves Forward  

The shortage of affordable housing is a national problem, from major cities like San Francisco and Boston to small towns like Stockbridge. Every community has its own unique housing challenges and potential solutions.  

Great Barrington, Lenox and Lee have all undertaken major affordable housing developments in recent years, such as the 65 unit mixed-income project by the Pennrose company on Route 7 in Lenox.  The Stockbridge approach should be much smaller than the neighboring towns. A large-scale development would be out of character in Stockbridge. But we must be able to make room for pocket developments of 4 to 6 units of housing. Economies of scale are needed to attract builders and developers who can profitably create housing that is affordable to lower and moderate income households. 

The Missing Middle

While Stockbridge currently meets the state mandated goal of having more than 10 percent of year-round housing stock in the category of “subsidized housing inventory” (SHI), we fall short in having enough “workforce” housing, middle class homes that are affordable to teachers, town employees and people who work in the local private sector.

The character of the town is more than just its physical appearance. It is also the people. As we’ve noted (see Housing Production Plan), Stockbridge has undergone major changes in its demographic make-up. We’ve become older and wealthier while losing younger people, families and those with modest incomes. We need more housing to attract younger and less affluent people to restore a more vibrant balance in the overall population.

We also need full-time residents who can eventually fill the 150 volunteer positions on boards and committees that manage town government.