Draft HPP Published

On August 28, 2023, the Town and HPP consulting team published a Draft Housing Production Plan for review and comment by the general public. The plan is available for download here.

The Town of South Hadley has been engaging in a public outreach process to update the Town’s Housing Production Plan (HPP), last updated in 2016. A third community forum will be held on Wednesday, September 13th at 7:00 PM at the South Hadley Senior Center, 45 Dayton Street.

Through the Housing Production Plan update process, the Town is seeking to open discussion and analyze South Hadley’s current housing stock and housing affordability relative to our population and demographics. Your contribution is vital to the creation of a successful plan. For a deeper overview, you can review Housing Production Plan ‘FAQs’ here: https://www.southhadley.org/DocumentCenter/View/11626/NEW—Frequently-Asked-Questions

Who is developing the plan? : The Town of South Hadley, in coordination with Outwith Studio, is in the process of developing a draft Housing Production Plan. It is anticipated that the draft will be available to the public on August 28th. The process has been guided by an Advisory Committee, consisting of appointed community members, and will ultimately be adopted by the Planning Board and Selectboard following a public hearing process after which it will receive State review and approval.

Why is this plan important? : The Housing Production Plan process is established by the State Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, formerly the Department of Housing and Community Development, and seeks to demonstrate strategies to increase opportunities for affordable housing.

For additional information, you can review the Housing Production Plan website here: https://shhousingplan.org/ and review information on the Town’s website here: https://www.southhadley.org/1372/Housing-Production-Plan

You can also follow and share the event on social media here: https://fb.me/e/3GBBk12ld

Still have questions? You can contact Anne Capra, Director of Planning and Conservation at (413) 538-5030 x6128 or acapra@southhadleyma.gov

Community Forum #2 Scheduled

Date & Location:
Thursday, June 22, 2023
7-9 PM

South Hadley Senior Center,
45 Dayton Street,
South Hadley, MA

Please join us to learn about housing development and constraints within South Hadley, and discuss draft goals, strategies and opportunities to create much need housing for people of all incomes and stages of life.

Agenda [pdf]

Welcome and Recap on Planning Process
Open House: Development Constraints and Opportunities
Presentation: Housing Goals, Strategies and Development Opportunities
Break-out Discussion and Report Back: Housing Strategies
Next Steps

To stay informed, sign up for email updates at links.shhousingplan.org/email. Questions? Contact Anne Capra, Director of Planning and Conservation at acapra@southhadleyma.gov or (413) 538-5030 x6128.

Draft Housing Needs and Assessment Published

The Housing Production Plan Update process has published a draft Housing Needs and Demand Assessment. The assessment contains data-based insights on the present and near-future state of housing in South Hadley, and these insights will help develop the plan’s goals and strategies. This document is required by the state in an HPP, and a revised version of this document will be incorporated into the final plan.

Fall Engagement Reveals Housing Needs

South Hadley’s Housing Production Plan Update held a series of engagement activities in Fall 2022. These activities revealed a broad range of housing needs and desires, directions for the plan’s goals, and ideas about housing solutions. These insights, along with those found through the Housing Needs and Demand Assessment, point the way for the rest of the plan.

Press Release: Plan Launch and Fall Engagement

[See the PDF of this press release here.]

SOUTH HADLEY—Do you, your family, or your friends face challenges with housing in South Hadley? Do you want to help shape housing in your community? Do you want housing that can serve all our needs? The Town of South Hadley asks for your help to plan for a better housing future. We need your help to craft a “Housing Production Plan” that will set the course for residential development and housing policy. This plan will be driven by the community. The process will include opportunities for the public to weigh in on housing goals, specific housing policies, locations for potential residential development, and more. We need YOUR input to make this plan work.

This fall there are two opportunities to get involved:

Community Forum on the town’s housing goals and the future of development –December 12, 2022, 7–9 PM, at the South Hadley Public Library, 2 Canal Street, South Hadley.
Survey on housing in South Hadley, giving people who can’t attend the forum a chance to weigh in. Visit links.shhousingplan.org/survey to participate.

Housing is a real issue for South Hadley residents:

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, 30% of South Hadley households pay more than is reasonable for housing and are considered “housing cost- burdened.”
An estimated 40% of South Hadley households would be considered low-income and qualify for housing support if that support was available.
Housing prices and rents have risen dramatically in the last ten years, making it difficult for new families, seniors, and young people to find homes that fit their needs, and increasing tax burdens on existing homeowners.
The demand for housing affordability is high, but the supply of deed-restricted affordable homes and homes affordable at market prices is very low.
Likewise, the supply of homes that are accessible to South Hadley’s seniors, the supply of starter homes, and the supply of workforce housing is limited.

To address these issues and more, the Town has begun a process to update our Housing Production Plan (HPP) which will guide housing policy for the next five years. HPPs are regulated by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development under M.G.L. Chapter 40B. Communities can use HPPs to proactively address housing issues, rather than only reacting to proposed developments. An

HPP must include a housing needs and demand assessment, analysis of development constraints and opportunities, the community’s housing goals, recommended strategies to meet those goals, and a target for new Affordable Housing development. To conduct the process, the Town is working with planning and design firms Outwith Studio and Utile, who will provide technical assistance and help draft the plan’s content. The process will run through May 2023.

According to Director of Planning and Conservation Anne Capra, who is overseeing the process, “The plan will explore the existing housing shortage within South Hadley and ways to create a range of housing types within existing neighborhoods while meeting community goals for equity, sustainability, and the protection of natural, cultural and historic resources.”

Engagement activities will include public workshops, meetings, and surveys. In addition to these opportunities and future events, the plan has convened an Advisory Committee of residents, local officials, and local housing experts, who will guide the process, promote engagement by the public, and help synthesize public input into a final document. Ultimately, the Selectboard and Planning Board will review the document, and if adopted, send the document to the state for approval.

To stay informed, visit www.shhousingplan.org, and sign up for email updates at links.shhousingplan.org/email. Please direct any questions about the plan to Anne Capra, Director of Planning and Conservation at acapra@southhadleyma.gov or (413) 538-5030 x6128.

Community Forum scheduled for Dec. 12 Updated

**This post was updated to reflect a change in date and location**

The South Hadley Housing Production Plan Update will hold its first community forum on the future of housing in town.

December 12, 2022
7–9 p.m.
South Hadley Public Library
2 Canal Street, South Hadley, MA 01075

The forum will include a presentation on housing conditions in town, breakout group discussions on housing and development, and other activities.

Check back on this website or sign up for our email list for updates on the planning process.

Town Convenes Advisory Committee

In early September, the Town of South Hadley invited members of the community, local officials, and experts in housing and design to join the Housing Production Plan’s Advisory Committee. This committee will guide the HPP process, ensure the plan aligns with the needs and capacity of the community, promote the plan to members of the public, and spearhead the plan’s implementation when it’s ready.

The first meeting included an overview of the HPP’s process, public engagement techniques, and early housing data analysis. The plan’s agenda, presentation, and video recording can be found on the Resources page.

Committee Members

Michael Adelman (Planning Board alternate member, Resident at Large)
Ann Andras (Council on Aging)
Carol Constant (Selectboard, Senior Housing advocate)
Naomi Darling (Resident at Large, Architect)
Helen Fantini (Redevelopment Authority, Resident at Large, Former Planning Board member, Architect)
Bridgette Sullivan (Housing Authority Director)
Nate Therien (Planning Board Member)
Anne Capra (Planning and Conservation Director, staff to committee)

South Hadley HPP