Housing

Northampton is committed to ensuring safe, affordable, and decent housing

  • Temporary and transitional housing for those experiencing or at great risk of experiencing homelessness.
  • Affordable housing- for those who are housing burdened (defined as housing for those earning at or below 80% of the Area Median Income, or AMI). Typically this requires housing with some kind of financial or regulatory incentive and subsidy.
  • Workforce or community housing for those who are served at the low end of market housing (defined in the CPA act as housing for those at or below 100% AMI, but many other definitions exist). Given the deficit of that supply, many people with this and higher incomes are still housing burdened and there is a need for financial and regulatory incentives to increase the supply.
  • Attainable and market rate housing for all. The shortage of market rate (not subsidized) housing in all ends of the market creates a  need for an increased supply, especially in sustainable areas which promote walking. Because this shortage pushes prices up, many homeowners have incomes that would not allow them to purchase their own homes, which they purchased when housing was more affordable. As these homeowners leave their homes, new homeowners often have higher incomes, creating a demographic bomb that will only worsen as people leave long time tenancy. Multiple strategies are necessary to counter that effect and to encourage a variety of housing types which will result in housing options for a cross section of our community throughout our neighborhoods.

    Northampton is working to create attainable housing

    ActionsWhatWhere (examples)
    Limited conservation developmentCreate building lots with conservation9 affordable and 2 market rate lots-Burts Pit-2021
    3 affordable lots-Glendale Rd-2018
    1 market rate lots-Glendale Rd-2021
    Every Habitat for Humanity project in the last 30 years
    Release surplus landRelease surplus city and tax title land1 affordable and 1 market rate lots Woodland Dr-2022
    24 affordable units on Laurel Street-2022
    16ish affordable units on Chapel Street-2022
    3 affordable units on Burts Pit Rd/State Hospital-2022
    2 affordable and 2 market rate at Oak St-2022
    1 affordable at Evergreen-2022
    Regulatory requirements & incentivesZoning and subdivision incentivesUrban lot sizes in urban core areas- current/since 2013
    60% lot reduction for affordable housing- 2021
    50% lot reduction for small homes-2021
    50% lot reduction for two-family houses-2021
    Two family allowed by-right in all residential areas-2021
    Simplified affordable housing permitting at Village Hill-.2017
    No density limits Village Hill or downtown- 2013.
    CDBG and CPA fundingFinancial incentives to developersEvery affordable housing project in last 30 years
    53 affordable/workforce units N. Commons/Olander Dr-2021
    Lumberyard affordable housing-2019
    155 Live affordable housing-2019
    Northampton Housing Authority accessibility-2022
    New South Street Apartments rehabilitation-2022
    Grant fundingObtain state grantsLaurel Street and Burts Pit Road (Housing Choice): 2022
    North Commons/Olander Dr-2021
    Lumberyard (MassWorks):2020


    Affordable Housing Partners 

    • The Hampshire Property Management Group has several affordable housing units throughout Northampton
    • The Northampton Housing Authority is quasi-public agency maintaining several public housing developments, accepting Housing Choice (Section 8) and VASH vouchers (for veterans) 
    • The Community Builders are developing 35 Village Hill, Northampton’s newest mixed-income, affordable apartment community. See their website for floor plans and applications
    • The Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity is a leader in building affordable and sustainable single-family homes in Northampton. Their most recent project is Broughton's Meadow, on Burts Pit Road on land donated to them by the City.
    • Way Finders Inc. is another local leader in affordable housing. More information on their Home Center page.

    Housing Search