Aaron Gornstein announces $1.6 million tax credit to a crowd of about 50
For the second time in only two days state officials have come to Amherst bearing gifts. BIG ones:
On Tuesday the Governor announced a $1.5 million MassWorks Grant to relocate utilities underground in the north end of town center, and today Housing Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein announced a $1.6 million tax credit for Beacon Communities Development, the new owner of Rolling Green Apartments.
Select Board, Housing Sheltering Committee, Housing Authority, Rolling Green residents and town staff on hand
The money will allow the private company that specializes in affordable housing to do much needed "deferred maintenance." Last Spring Amherst Town Meeting approved $1.25 million in Community Preservation Act money to go towards the $30 million deal.
Representative Ellen Story "This is amazing!" (keeping the units affordable)
With the preservation in perpetuity of 41 units of affordable housing at Rolling Green (but all 204 units will count towards the SHI) the town stands a better chance of staying above the 10% Subsudized Housing Inventory, which inoculates against a developer coming into town doing a Ch40B development.
Mark Epker President Beacon Communities Investment LLC
Happy campers
Tongue-in-cheek re-posts from prior thread "The Governor Came Calling":
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Too bad you all don't see the political reality of this. None of the projects in this are about anything but political favoritism. Connected people or those who the Gov owed a favor got their favor.
Take "downtown" Hatfield (pop. 1380). Not exactly a hotbed for bikes,pedestrians, or vehicular traffic. What did they get?
Hatfield - $360,000 to the Main Street Transportation Safety Improvements project. The project includes sidewalk replacements, new pedestrian crossings and bicycle lane markings along Main Street through the town center. The improvements will enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety, while improving traffic flow.
October 23, 2014 at 1:19 AM
Anonymous said...
I get burying the power lines. I just don't get why the taxes from some hard working person in Athol, Orange, Gardner, etc. should go to pay for it.
October 22, 2014 at 8:01 AM
AND...
Anonymous said...
Why don't we all chip in and pay for some nice landscaping for the new development?
October 22, 2014 at 7:52 AM
I really have a problem with using taxpayer funds for for profit entities. I'm sure this development group was promised this before they signed on and reserved low income housing. What happened to a free market economy?
ReplyDeleteCommonwealth or socialist state? You decide.
ReplyDeleteWatch those Democrats run and scramble to keep everyone's mind off the disaster of a President. Elections in a couple of weeks and Dems ain't doing well this time around.
ReplyDeleteThis is bullbleep.
ReplyDeleteIt would be cheaper for the Commonwealth to build public housing projects and provide low income housing directly -- or hire one of these management companies to manage it if they can't or don't want to.
Where are all the people screaming aoubt "corporate welfare"? That is what this is -- Rolling Green has been getting an obscene amount of money in rent for more than a decade now, and some of that money was supposed (in theory) to go back into the property in terms of upkeep and improvement. Why the need for the handout?
Heck, I'd like some free cash too, can you please give me some Deval?