NORTHAMPTON — Preliminary plans have been proposed involving an affordable housing project behind Northampton City Hall on 27 Crafts Ave.

The project, which is being developed by Valley Community Development, officially began in late 2022 when Valley CDC responded to a request for proposals issued by the city to develop the location for affordable housing.

Valley was selected to be the developer for the project, which includes 30 studios for single adults/couples. Twenty of them are being developed for unhoused or “very low-income” individuals while 10 will be reserved for low-to-moderate-income tenants. Five will be handicap accessible.

According to Bill Womeldorf, a real estate project manager from Valley CDC and point person for the project, low-to-moderate-income includes individuals who are making minimum wage while a very low-income single person includes someone who generally makes less than $20,950 a year.

“Crafts is the ideal location because it lends itself to a high degree of walkability, but it also provides our residents a choice of mobility,” Womeldorf said, of the location.

Womeldorf added that residents can use the local or regional bus stations, which are a “stone’s throw” away, as well as the bike paths in the nearby area.

“The location allows access to nearby workspaces, amenities and other services that you wouldn’t get if you were away from downtown,” he said. “A lot of our residents don’t own a car, so having that walkability and choice of mobility is a key aspect of what we look for in these types of housing projects.”

The new housing will include certain amenities like a day room on the ground floor as well as a property management office and other offices for services. There will also be a part-time residents services coordinator and a part-time property manager on-site, along with internal bike storage and a roof deck on one of the upper stories.

“The resident services coordinator will work with people who are on subsidy vouchers and will help navigate a lot of the day-to-day for folks who may need the extra help,” Womeldorf said.

The city received a $970,000 grant to fund the design portion of this project, and according to Womeldorf, the building will not use fossil fuels.

While Valley CDC is still grappling with the cost of construction, Womeldorf added that construction is planned to start at some point in 2026.

Valley CDC is working with Jones Whitsett Architects on the project, and as of press time, the team has developed a design development set. The next step, according to Womeldorf, is applying for a zoning permit at the end of this month before embarking on a future set of plans.