Williams wants moratorium on low-income housing

Date: 9/14/2009

By G. Michael Dobbs

Managing Editor



SPRINGFIELD With the passing of each week toward the city's mayoral election, City Council Bud Williams is presenting his stance on issues. This week, Williams vowed not to allow any additional low-income housing developments into the city if he is elected.

He called for a citywide moratorium on low-income housing projects.

Williams explained to Reminder Publications that low-income housing should be taking the form of single family or two-family homes within established neighborhoods, rather than complexes that take up parts of neighborhoods.

"People have gotten away from that philosophy [of low-income complexes] Williams said. "It hasn't worked."

"All across America, housing experts, including HUD, have rejected the policy of warehousing people in high density developments. Longhill Gardens is a prime example of a past project that should have been demolished and turned into open space or single family units," he continued.

"In less than a year [a low-income complex] will be conducive to criminal elements," he added.

Communities such as Wilbraham and Longmeadow should "do their fair share under the law" to be the home for low-income residents, he said.

"It is also time for a summit meeting of all Western Massachusetts communities to develop a strategy on how best to proceed," he said.

Williams said that Mayor Domenic Sarno had a choice in allowing the development of the Longhill Gardens site in the Forest Park neighborhood into low-income housing. Sarno could have refused to allow the city's share of HUD money to be used for such a development, but didn't, Williams said.

Williams had been an early critic of the development which recently broke ground.

"I've always been against low income housing," he added.

Williams said that if he had been mayor he would have worked to see the space along Longhill Street developed into senior housing or green space.

"Even though [the new development] will reduce the density, it is till too dense for the neighborhood," he asserted.

Williams said he is still waiting for an answer from Sarno concerning a schedule of debates throughout the city in conjunction with neighborhood councils and civic associations.

Although there have been several debates in place from other groups, Williams said, "They have neighborhood problems and need neighborhood solutions."

His request for neighborhood debates has been turned over to Sarno's attorney, Williams said.

Williams said he is ready to discuss the issues with the mayor "any time, any place and under any consideration."