The Seasonal Community

By Bruce Blair

Recently, our state legislature decided to spend a lot of money on affordable housing and take over some of our local governance. They even plan to make state surplus lands available for building.

Stockbridge is declared a “Seasonal Community” allowing developers to buy land and build “Tiny Houses” anywhere they like. These are ideal for raising a family of 1.3 people on tourist industry minimum wages, or for running a string of short-term rentals on the Bowl or anywhere a building lot or what they see as a knockdown house is for sale.

Accessory Dwelling Units, or guest houses as the wealthy call them, can now be built everywhere, only way smaller than guest houses. So says the state, not our decision anymore. Ideal for families of 1.5 people moving up from tiny houses. Actual residents like myself can build one and live in it while renting my house to visitors. ADUs and Tiny Houses mean my dream of living in a tiny house, running a hectic business as a landlord in my elderly years, could come true. I always say that the only way I would leave my home is in a box, but with Tiny Houses, they can bury the whole dwelling with me in it!

The population of the state has been in a modest, steady decline. As always, a lot of young people are looking for careers elsewhere, per the MA Taxpayers Association. We have a small business and tourism economy. We already meet state requirements for affordable housing and have done so long before neighboring towns. Rich people build houses here because — we still have beautiful land, balance between our development and natural resources. Barely, for now.

Not many living wage jobs? Let’s build houses! Limited public transportation? Time to build houses! Let’s get dense while we are at it. And by this I mean — Let’s build a lot of houses! Get rid of the zoning green belt we designed to protect the town’s tourist economy, heritage, and natural resources. Its all surplus!! Maybe dozens more people in Glendale means the Post Office there will reopen. There’s a couple of jobs right there!

Its all great, says the state. So send Stockbridge the money and we will hire the consultants. We are good at hiring consultants. Maybe not so good at bringing all of us together to talk about the future.

Photo: Jay Rhind