In the News

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — It'll be a series of firsts for Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity when it builds six net-zero energy use condominiums on land on Deming Street. 

It is the first such project for the organization. It is the first time it had used a panel-build day. It is the first time a bank is financing the project. And it is the first for a "homebuilders blitz."

The project has been long-awaited but finally broke ground on Friday. 

"Habitat brings people together to build homes, communities, and hope and nobody does that better than the Berkshires," Executive Director Carolyn Valli said.

The project began in 2009 when Berkshire Gas donated the parcel at the intersection of Gordon Street. The company owned a building there that was later demolished. The grass has since grown back and the parcel has been just lawn for years.

"When Berkshire Gas was first contemplating donating this parcel, then-Mayor [James] Ruberto was quick to suggest Habitat for Humanity as the beneficiary. Standing here some 10 years later, we could not be happier with that suggestion and with our decision to offer this parcel to Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity," said Berkshire Gas President Franklyn Reynolds. "The work of Habitat and its legion of dedicated volunteers is a story well know both here in Berkshire County and across the United States. We could not be more thrilled to be a small part of that story here in Pittsfield."

A plan began to come together. Instead of using the land to build just one home, the project's scope expanded to essentially creating a miniature village. Habitat built the structure of a homeowners association. And worked out how the development would be managed and maintained. But there was one large missing piece.

"We have been working on this project for 10 years and every time we crunched the numbers, and I'm creative, we don't have enough for the infrastructure," Valli said.

The project will need a new road and water system for fire suppression. White Engineering kept working on the design to make the ends meet but it kept falling short every single time. 

Valli was then sitting at a housing training with Community Development & Housing Program Manager Justine Dodds. The two started talking about the state's MassWorks program that funds infrastructure projects. Valli's ears perked up as she wondered if the state would fund the proposed village. Dodds wasn't so sure but she said she'd ask. 

It wasn't that long afterward that Valli was attending her daughter's wedding and her phone rang. Dodds apologized for interrupting the wedding, but she found out that the project was eligible. And that the deadline was imminent. Valli got through the ceremony and quickly put together the application and sent it in.

"There was not a person in city government that didn't say, let me help you design it, let me really make an impact on it," Valli said.

In November 2017, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito strolled into City Hall with a $425,000 check in hand to fund that infrastructure work.

And then there was the financing of the homes themselves. Valli said Habitat has typically held the mortgages and so every project is essentially raising the money for a house over and over again. For this, it had to be done another way. Valli said Greylock Federal Credit Union designed a product to get the homes financed at a "generous rate."

Permitting created another snag. The land is by the river so there are wetlands issues that had to be addressed. But, it was too tight after the structures and roads were put in. Habitat had to purchase a small chunk of land and turn it into wetlands to replace what is being lost.

During all of this, there was an itch to get working and the materials were all lined up. Gary Levante of the Berkshire Bank called Valli and asked if his 150 volunteers would be of any assistance. Valli questioned him how long? Would it be over the course of a month, a year?