Affordable Housing Trust Supports Ballot Initiative for Rent Stabilization

Report on the Meeting of the Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, October 9, 2025

This meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded.

Present
Gaston de los Reyes (chair), Alex Cox, Allegra Clark, Rob Allingham, Bob Pomeroy, Karla Rasche, and Town Manager Paul Bockelman. Absent: Heejae Kim.

Staff: Greg Richane (Housing Coordinator)

The Amherst Municipal Affordable Housing Trust (AMAHT) voted 4-2-1 to endorse a ballot initiative to restrict increases in rent yearly to the increase in the cost of living or 5%, whichever is less. In order to be included on the ballot for the 2026 state election next November, the initiative must garner 75,000 signatures statewide by next month. The initiative is sponsored by a coalition of agencies across the state. Local groups include Springfield No One Leaves and Homes for All Massachusetts. Landlords with only one to four rental properties are exempt from the limitation, as are buildings less than 10 years old. 

Trust member Allegra Clark noted that at a housing forum a couple years ago, some people stated that their rent had increased 39% over the previous year, and someone living in Village Park told her that their rent had gone up $500 per month after the COVID eviction moratorium was lifted. Referring to this ongoing problem, she said the initiative is “a way to try and stave that sort of thing off, because I think that’s something that really would displace working people and families and low-income households from town.”

AMAHT Chair Gaston de los Reyes questioned whether the proposal would create a situation where there would be no investment in rental properties because the rent could not be raised enough to pay for maintenance and improvement. Karla Rasche also had some misgivings. She said, “I know ultimately one of our goals is to increase the quantity and quality of affordable housing, and I feel like there’s a possibility that rent control can very easily do the exact opposite. This might be faster, but in the long run, I don’t know that it’s sharing our aims.” 

Trust member Alex Cox was in favor of the initiative, although he had questions about it. He said that most new models for rent stabilization allow the rent to reset to market rate with a change in tenancy, unlike this proposal. However, he stated, “I think that the need to cap how much landlords can ask for rent as an increase year-over-year is something we’ve heard consistently from the community. Typically, when you had an older style of rent control, [there was] a court or tribunal to determine hardship and allow exemptions. I’m guessing that before it was actually put in the books, there’d be a lot of expansion to [the proposal].”

Ruby Yates, legislative aide to State Representative Mindy Domb, stated that the rent stabilization legislation co-sponsored by Domb (H 2501) is not the same as the ballot initiative, which Domb has not yet taken a position on. Yates told AMAHT members that she will inform them when a hearing is scheduled on the legislation, so that the trust can offer testimony if interested. She said that there is a fact sheet for the rent stabilization legislation that she will pass along to the trust.

Rasche and de los Reyes voted not to endorse the initiative. Town Manager Paul Bockelman abstained.

AMAHT Requests $575,000 from Community Preservation Act Funds for FY27
The Housing Trust submitted a proposal for $575,000 to the Community Preservation Act Committee for FY2027. The request consisted of a three-pronged approach to increase and improve housing in town and help achieve the goals of the 2024 Housing Production Plan, currently under review by the Town Council.

The $575,000 request includes:

1. $250,000 in development equity to “unlock state and federal resources for major affordable developments” in order to produce 40 to 60 affordable housing units.
   
2. $125,000 in ecosystem innovation to “launch sustainable programs that create ongoing affordable and attainable housing opportunities beyond individual projects.” Examples are an Accessory Dwelling Unit equity or loan program, pre-approved affordable designs, and a market-rate partnership program to encourage more steeply affordable units or off-site affordable units.
   
3. $200,000 for a rapid response fund to “address time-sensitive opportunities and project emergencies.”

The trust decided to create subcommittees for each of these initiatives. Allegra Clark also wanted to continue with the public forums that AMAHT has traditionally sponsored once or twice a year. She suggested a program on Wayfinders 2025 regional housing study “Building Home, Building Futures” and will work with other groups, such as the League of Women Voters of Amherst, to plan it.