Mission & Vision
Mission
The mission of the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is to create housing and economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income households in the southern Berkshires.
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire builds affordable housing and creates living-wage jobs by working collaboratively with town governments, open space organizations, and other local nonprofits.
We identify sites, secure financing, and carry out development projects that resonate with the natural beauty of the southern Berkshires.
Over the last ten years, we have leveraged over $19 million in public and private investment for southern Berkshire County and created 60 affordable housing units, with an additional 90 units in development.
Join us in making the southern Berkshires a beautiful and livable community for all who live and work here.
Vision
Our work increases the local affordable housing supply and encourages sustainable economic growth using the following guiding principles:
- Providing housing options to enable people to live and work in the same community
- Prioritizing the creation of increased housing density in town centers, thus preserving open space
- Supporting locally-owned businesses that contribute to a robust local economy, keeping profits in the community and adding to the local tax base
- Promoting job creation that pays a “living wage”
- Creating developments that engage Smart Growth principles: utilizing mixed land uses, compact design, distinctive and attractive communities, preservation of natural beauty, varied transportation choices, and stakeholder collaboration in development
- Incorporating energy efficiency and green building techniques and materials
- Encouraging collaboration with other organizations, regionally and nationally, to best leverage available expertise and capacities
- Maintaining community support through both meaningful engagement and reverence for local beauty, culture, and commerce
Service Area
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire’s service area includes all of Berkshire County, with a primary focus area on the fifteen towns south of Pittsfield. Within this focus area, our work concentrates in the communities that have some level of public infrastructure (town water and sewer) and have ready access to services. The south Berkshire region is characterized by its rural setting with a predominance of open space, agricultural land with a trend for increasing “rural sprawl.” The economy is primarily service-based, driven by the hospitality and tourism industry. Land costs are disproportionately high, driven by the vacation, retirement, and second home markets. Land costs are rising; wages are declining. The combination of low wage-paying jobs and high housing costs has made it especially difficult to retain the area’s youth and attract young families; the population is declining and aging. There is a very deep need for affordable housing throughout the area, for both rental and home ownership units.
Towns We Serve:
- Alford
- Egremont
- Great Barrington
- Lee
- Lenox
- Monterey
- Mount Washington
- New Marlborough
- Otis
- Richmond
- Sandisfield
- Sheffield
- Stockbridge
- Tyringham
- West Stockbridge
South Berkshire County
Mission & Vision
Mission
The mission of the Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, is to create housing and economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income households in the southern Berkshires.
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire builds affordable housing and create living-wage jobs by working collaboratively with town governments, open space organizations, and other local nonprofits.
We identify sites, secure financing, and carry out development projects that resonate with the natural beauty of the southern Berkshires.
Over the last ten years, we have leveraged over $19 million in public and private investment for southern Berkshire County and created 60 affordable housing units, with an additional 90 units in development.
Join us in making the southern Berkshires a beautiful and livable community for all who live and work here.
Vision
Our work increases the local affordable housing supply and encourages sustainable economic growth using the following guiding principles:
- Providing housing options to enable people to live and work in the same community
- Prioritizing the creation of increased housing density in town centers, thus preserving open space
- Supporting locally-owned businesses that contribute to a robust local economy, keeping profits in the community and adding to the local tax base
- Promoting job creation that pays a “living wage”
- Creating developments that engage Smart Growth principles: utilizing mixed land uses, compact design, distinctive and attractive communities, preservation of natural beauty, varied transportation choices, and stakeholder collaboration in development
- Incorporating energy efficiency and green building techniques and materials
- Encouraging collaboration with other organizations, regionally and nationally, to best leverage available expertise and capacities
- Maintaining community support through both meaningful engagement and reverence for local beauty, culture, and commerce
Service Area
The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire’s service area includes all of Berkshire County, with a primary focus area on the fifteen towns south of Pittsfield. Within this focus area, our work concentrates in the communities that have some level of public infrastructure (town water and sewer) and have ready access to services. The south Berkshire region is characterized by its rural setting with a predominance of open space, agricultural land with a trend for increasing “rural sprawl.” The economy is primarily service-based, driven by the hospitality and tourism industry. Land costs are disproportionately high, driven by the vacation, retirement, and second home markets. Land costs are rising; wages are declining. The combination of low wage-paying jobs and high housing costs has made it especially difficult to retain the area’s youth and attract young families; the population is declining and aging. There is a very deep need for affordable housing throughout the area, for both rental and home ownership units.
South Berkshire County
