ADUs are now allowed by right in Massachusetts. But Berkshire County towns still have work to do

February 9th, 2025

Accessory dwelling units are now permitted by right in single-family zoning districts across Massachusetts. In the Berkshires, municipalities are still working to bring local bylaws into compliance with the state law.

For years, Massachusetts has left it to individual towns and cities to define what is an accessory dwelling unit, or ADU, to set restrictions and to decide whether to allow them at all. But as the housing crisis has deepened, officials looked to streamline regulations and cut away some of the red-tape that has prevented the construction of ADUs, which some would know as in-law apartments.

(more…) “ADUs are now allowed by right in Massachusetts. But Berkshire County towns still have work to do”

BRPC Invites Applications for Home Modification Loan Program

February 6th, 2025

PITTSFIELD, Mass — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) is now accepting applications for the Home Modification Loan Program (HMLP).

This state-funded, no-interest loan program assists homeowners and landlords (with fewer than 10 units) in making necessary accessibility modifications to keep disabled or elderly family members in their homes.

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Williamstown Signs on to Opioid Abatement Collaborative

January 17th, 2025

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The town Monday signed on to a North County initiative to address and combat opioid addiction in the region.

On a 5-0 vote, the Select Board OK’d Williamstown’s entry into an intermunicipal agreement with North Adams, six other North County towns and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to form the North Berkshire Opioid Abatement Collaborative.

The collaborative is an outgrowth of the North Berkshire County Heal Coalition established in 2022.

(more…) “Williamstown Signs on to Opioid Abatement Collaborative”

Berkshire County gets DOT grant for bike path to link Mass MoCA with other cultural institutions

January 11th, 2025

Berkshire County leaders are celebrating a $17.3 million federal grant that will lay the groundwork for a pathway linking the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail at Adams to the Mohican Recreational Path in Williamstown. The 9.3-mile shared-use pathway, which will pass through downtown North Adams, will go a long way toward connecting many of the region’s cultural institutions, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, and the Adams Theater.

(more…) “Berkshire County gets DOT grant for bike path to link Mass MoCA with other cultural institutions”

Neal visits North Adams to celebrate over $17 million in federal funding to expand the Ashuwillticook throughout the Northern Berkshires

January 10th, 2025

Democratic Congressman Richard Neal of the 1st Massachusetts district was in North Adams Friday to announce a $17.3 million federal grant to extend a popular local rail trail.

The idea of connecting Williamstown and North Adams through a bike path has been bandied about Berkshire County for some time. The two major communities of Northern Berkshire County sit just five miles apart along Route 2. Eric Kerns is a founding partner of Tourists, a luxury hotel located between the two communities. In the packed city council chambers at city hall Friday morning, he read a past endorsement for the project.

Read/listen to the full article on WAMC.org.

North Adams, Partners Celebrate $17.3M in Federal Money Toward Bike Path

January 10th, 2025

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It’s been 26 years since the concept of a Connecticut to Vermont bike trail was first proposed — and 130 since a proposal was put forward for a path between North Adams and Williamstown.

Those dreams took another step forward on Friday with the announcement of $17.3 million in federal funding for the “Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail,” a 9.3-section from the Mohican Path at Williamstown’s Spruces to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

(more…) “North Adams, Partners Celebrate .3M in Federal Money Toward Bike Path”

Northern Berkshire County will connect to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail thanks to a new 9.3-mile stretch funded with federal dollars

January 10th, 2025

NORTH ADAMS — The North Adams Daily Transcript wrote in an 1896 story, “The wheelmen and wheelwomen, who are now visiting Northern Berkshire in great numbers, would be strongly impressed with our enterprise up here if they see something being done in the way of bicycle paths.”

A $17 million grant will allow Northern Berkshire County communities to forge a new, 9.3-mile path connecting to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, realizing an idea more than 120 years in the making.

(more…) “Northern Berkshire County will connect to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail thanks to a new 9.3-mile stretch funded with federal dollars”

Rail trail extension into Pittsfield part of much larger plan for 25 miles of bike and multi-use paths

January 6th, 2025

An ongoing state and local effort to elongate the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail was successful in 2024, but still has a long way to go.

The work on the rail trail was part of 15 miles of new shared-use paths introduced last year, backed by the state Department of Transportation. Now half a mile deeper into Pittsfield, the trail runs from Merrill Road in Pittsfield to Lime Street in Adams. There’s a new access point on Merrill Road, completed in November, with a parking lot and a pedestrian signal.

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Two public housing properties in Pittsfield receive funding to narrow the digital divide

December 21st, 2024

PITTSFIELD — Two of the city’s public housing properties have received funding to upgrade internet access for residents.

Currently, neither building has bulk Wi-Fi, meaning tenants must purchase an individual plan to access the internet. The most basic plan from Spectrum, the county’s primary service provider, costs $30 a month.

(more…) “Two public housing properties in Pittsfield receive funding to narrow the digital divide”

Eight Berkshire County towns have been designated seasonal communities by the state. Here’s what that means …

December 13th, 2024

Five months after Massachusetts enacted the Affordable Homes Act, the state released the list of 25 seasonal communities that face unique housing challenges brought by their status as tourist destinations and havens for second-home owners.

Eight towns in the Berkshires made the list: Alford, Becket, Hancock, Monterey, Mount Washington, Otis, Stockbridge and Tyringham. All but two are small towns with populations between 160 and 1,634 people and are located in South County.

(more…) “Eight Berkshire County towns have been designated seasonal communities by the state. Here’s what that means …”