Easthampton moves to address rent hikes
Source: Daily Hampshire Gazette | by Sam Ferland | September 11, 2025
EASTHAMPTON — As some Easthampton residents grapple with rising rents — an issue that is getting attention far beyond the city limits — the City Council has created a new committee to study the issue and develop solutions to support tenants.
“City Council members realized that there’s a housing crisis regarding rent,” said At-Large Councilor Koni Denham. “There are people not being able to afford their rent, having to leave Easthampton. We had some residents who had to leave and we have had residents come to us asking for action due to significant rent increases.”
While the worries are not new, some councilors began mulling over the creation of an ad-hoc committee earlier this year as a way to support renters. That committee came to fruition at the council’s Sept. 3 meeting when the council approved its creation and assigned its future members two tasks: to study and examine the Easthampton housing market and analyze programs to highlight ways the city can support tenants.
The committee will be made up of renters, landlords, real estate company owners and include Denham, along with fellow Councilor Felicia Jadczak, totaling nine members.
Denham and Jadzcak helped spearhead efforts to create the committee back in March after hearing complaints from residents about steep rent increases in the city. At that time, the Council adopted a resolution in favor of the bill An Act Enabling Cities and Towns to Stabilize Rents and Protect Tenants, still sitting on Beacon Hill (S.1447), that would give Massachusetts municipalities the option to cap rent increases. The committee’s creation was delayed due to the mayoral transition after former Mayor Nicole LaChapelle resigned.
The committee will start meeting soon to help research market trends in Easthampton to quantify rent and housing increases. Denham explained the committee provides an opportunity to provide renters with information, supporting them in the ongoing fight against rising rents.
“It’s not going to go away and we have to be proactive in thinking about how we are going to support our residents …” Denham said about the housing crisis. “Easthampton is not an anomaly in this situation … Easthampton is a working class community, we have a large senior population and we have new schools we are trying to build with younger families.”
