Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust Meeting – May 19, 2026

The Great Barrington Affordable Housing Trust met remotely on May 19, 2026, to approve minutes, receive updates on CPA funding and financial corrections, discuss the ADU vendor contract, and review development options for the Risingdale ball field site. Members voted on several financial items and set next steps for the ADU program and site planning.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of April 21, 2026, with an amendment to include specific projections provided by Joey regarding the need for a new rental assistance grant. Vote: Fred Clark – yes, Ananda Timpain – yes, Bill Cook – yes, Garfield Reed – yes, Peter Most – yes, Joseph Method – abstain.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Donna Jacobs, a neighbor at 260 Park Street, expressed regret over the loss of the ball field as open space, supported the idea of affordable housing, but wished the Area Median Income (AMI) limits could be adjusted so local youth could qualify. She urged that affordable housing remain accessible to Great Barrington residents.
• Ananda Timpain clarified that the town cannot restrict housing to town residents and that AMI is set by the state using federal HUD data.

Discussion Items

• Town Meeting Action & CPA Funding: Town meeting approved CPA funds of $325,000 for FY27 and $31,933.99 from the short-term rental special revenue fund for the Affordable Housing Trust. The town also adopted the seasonal communities designation; Peter Most will present a report on the opportunities (including a potential regional affordable housing trust and seed grant up to $4 million) at the June meeting.
• ADU Vendor Selection: The trust reviewed a proposed contract from BRPC. The cost structure was $3,500 per applicant (plus up to $1,000 for applicants who withdraw after substantial staff time), rather than the previously approved flat $5,000. The contract did not include the key task of applying the rubric and scoring applications. Members discussed whether to revise the scope or approve a higher budget. No vote was taken; the trust will either schedule a special meeting or revisit in June.
• FY26 Financial Corrections: A broken spreadsheet formula had understated the starting balance by $23,000; the trust voted unanimously to accept the corrected starting balance. They also voted to rescind a $250 grant-writing support fee (approved in November 2025 but not used) and to approve a $310 recording fee for the first ADU grant deed documents.
• Risingdale Ball Field Development: Fred Clark presented a detailed analysis of site constraints, zoning options (3 units by right, residential cluster development allowing 4–64 units with 35% open space), market feasibility (sales price must be ≤$350,000 to meet 100% AMI), and community input (desire for green buffer, infill character). He advocated for 6–8 units as duplexes to preserve neighborhood scale. Discussion included comparing with Prosperity Way (Habitat for Humanity project): Ananda noted 72 pre-screens resulted in only 8 viable applicants, while Bill Cook highlighted the lengthy Habitat qualification process. The trust agreed to develop a list of top-five criteria (density, affordability, non-negotiables like tree buffer) to guide an RFP, with possible formation of a subcommittee over the summer.

Key Outcomes

• Votes taken:
  • Approved April 21 minutes as amended (6-0-1).
  • Accepted corrected FY26 starting balance (unanimous).
  • Rescinded $250 grant-writing support (unanimous).
  • Approved $310 recording fee for first ADU deed documents (unanimous).
• Directives/Next Steps:
  • Peter Most will present a report on seasonal communities and the regional affordable housing trust at the June 16 meeting.
  • The ADU vendor issue will be revisited either in a special meeting or at the June meeting; Chris Rembold will contact BRPC about including application scoring.
  • For Risingdale, the trust will prepare a task list covering density, affordability, community-specific requests, and unknowns (e.g., construction costs). A subcommittee may be formed to draft the RFP.
  • Member reappointment forms should be returned to the Select Board office.