Northampton begins process to address housing shortage

The Northampton County Board of Supervisors took its first step Tuesday night toward addressing the county’s shortage of affordable and workforce housing.

Board Chairman John Coker and Supervisor Dixon Leatherbury, who were tasked with engaging the Berkley Group on the issue, presented four proposed scenarios: expanding subdivisions, encouraging development on town edges, revitalizing village areas, or promoting cluster housing.

Coker and Leatherbury expressed support for a combination of subdivision expansion and town edge development to increase housing density. Coker emphasized the need for a significant impact, stating he preferred developments that could add 20 to 50 homes at a time, rather than one or two. He added that areas near the towns made the most sense, since existing or planned infrastructure would better support higher density housing.

One of the main challenges, however, remains the high cost of real estate. Increasing allowed density could help mitigate that, even if building costs remain high.

“This is the starting point to get everyone thinking about how we might want it to look, should we choose to do anything,” said Supervisor Leatherbury. “We can’t change the cost of housing in terms of labor, concrete, or lumber. But what we can do is bring down the cost of the land that the house or duplex may sit on.”

Chairman Coker cautioned that relying on the towns to act could delay solutions for years.

“We’re not getting a lot of interest from the towns, because the towns are doing what the towns want to do,” he said. “We don’t have any control over the towns, and they don’t have any control over town edge. So we are just doing our own thing here… but I think the County needs to do something.”

After a lengthy discussion, the Board opted to return to the Berkley Group with instructions to focus on strategies using potential Town Edge zoning and to determine the most effective approaches.

Leatherbury also highlighted inconsistencies between the County’s Comprehensive Plan and its zoning code.

“The current Comprehensive Plan contemplates five houses per acre in Town Edge,” he noted, “but our zoning code doesn’t allow it.”

When Supervisor Oliver Bennett asked how many houses the County is short, Kolakowski cited a report from two years ago estimating the need for 1,000 affordable and workforce homes. However, he added that his best estimate now is “more like in the hundreds.”

“Houses are getting older,” Kolakowski said. “We need new ones not just for growth, but to replace the existing homes that are in bad shape.”