Pittsfield Mayor Pete Marchetti delivers his State of the City address Monday at City Hall, devoting a significant portion of his speech to housing progress and challenges across the city. Marchetti highlighted more than 100 completed units, major developments now underway and new investments aimed at expanding housing and addressing homelessness.

PITTSFIELD — Mayor Pete Marchetti devoted 25 percent of his State of the City address to housing in Pittsfield, touching on more than 100 completed housing units, forthcoming housing developments and ways the city is combating homelessness.

"Since I took office as mayor, housing has been at the forefront of my agenda," Marchetti said Monday at City Hall. "We have made great strides in housing over the past year, but I know we have much longer road ahead."

In his 37-minute speech, Marchetti outlined what this means: The city committing more funds to future housing projects and more than 162 housing units are slated to start construction by 2027.

Looking back, Marchetti recognized the housing projects completed in 2025. Hearthway, Allegrone Cos. and Westside Legends were among the most prominent of those project developers in the city.

Marchetti also touched on the strides taken toward supporting individuals experiencing homelessness. A big development is The First, a daytime shelter and housing resource center, which is to open in the coming weeks after $3 million in funding from the city.

"It is imperative that we work together as a county on an approach to identify solutions to a variety of the housing challenges our community members are experiencing," Marchetti said.

Terrace 592 in Pittsfield was completed in 2025, it offers 41 affordable housing apartments. It is one of three developments Mayor Pete Marchetti mentioned during his address that Hearthway had built.

Marchetti touched on seven housing developments in various stages of completion during his inaugural address, with many developments having affordable units.

The largest development was Hearthway's, the nonprofit formerly known as Berkshire Regional Development Corporation. Hearthway proposed rehabilitating the former Polish Community Center at 55 Linden St. The project will receive Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding and a Community Development Block Grant and bring 47 affordable housing units to market.

The rehabilitation of 100 Wendell Ave. will bring 22 market-rate and six affordable housing units. It received CPA funding and a Tax Increment Exemption (TIE) from the city, according to Marchetti. The formerly dilapidated site was purchased by 786 Holdings LLC, which is connected to Garden Properties and Development, a local developer.

Allegrone Companies, a private developer, will bring 23 total units, 19 market-rate and four affordable, to market at 24 and 34 North St. Allegrone received a $1.8 million MassWorks grant for the project, with city also giving the project a TIE.

Westside Legends, a nonprofit focused on revitalizing Pittsfield's west side, will build 16 town houses along Columbus Avenue. Construction is projected to start in 2027, but the organization already received $500,000 from Massachusetts' One Stop for Growth program to begin site work.

Central Habitat for Humanity, another nonprofit housing developer, is developing "five residential units," according to Marchetti.

The finalization of the city's purchase of the old St. Joseph Central High School is happening in the next few weeks, according to the mayor. Once construction is completed, the project should have 21 housing units plus a daycare on the first floor.

Financed by Berkshire Bank and built by Allegrone Companies, the newly revitalized Wright Building will bring a mix of clean, livable apartments and active retail spaces to the heart of Pittsfield. It is one of the largest developments racing towards the finish line that Mayor Peter Marchetti mentioned.

The Hibbett School should be "going out to bid very shortly," Marchetti said. This development's plans could change, so the building would have anywhere from 22 to 50 units.

He also mentioned Milltown Capital’s development on Wendell Avenue, a project for which the organization is seeking additional funding before determining how many housing units it will build.

These projects are the ones in development as of now, Marchetti said, with the city continuing to look for projects to support.

Hearthway's was one of the largest developers of 2025, with Marchetti highlighting the organization's building of 73 affordable-housing apartments built in the city at Terrace 592, West Housatonic and The First.

The 41 apartments in Terrace 592, at 592 North St., finished construction in early September, at a cost of $18.7 million. Seven of the units are set aside for tenants referred through the state's departments of Mental Health and Developmental Services; nine of the building's apartments have rental assistance, which keeps rent at 30 percent of the tenant's income; and the other 25 are rent-restricted, keeping the rents below market rate.

The developments at 74 First St. — $3 million, which included American Rescue Act Plan funding from the city — and 111 West Housatonic St. — $10 million — are almost done, respectively bringing nine and 28 permanent supportive housing units online. Permanent supportive housing units are designed to help people who have experienced homelessness get out of the cycle by requiring supportive services as part of the tenancy agreement.

Westside Legends brought two homes to market in 2025, with their modular home also nearing completion. The organization worked in partnership with Central Berkshire Habitat for Humanity to keep the homes below market price.

Financed by Berkshire Bank and built by Allegrone Companies, the newly revitalized Wright Building will bring a mix of clean, livable apartments and active retail spaces to the heart of Pittsfield. It is one of the largest developments racing towards the finish line that Mayor Peter Marchetti mentioned.

Outside of the nonprofits, Allegrone Companies is bringing a total of 35 units to The Wright on North Street. The development, which cost $17.8 million, have 28 market-rate apartments, with the remaining seven being restricted as affordable housing.

The Wright will also have six storefront spaces along North Street, and the development should be completed sometime in 2026.

Marchetti spent the last few minutes of his State of the Union on the housing crisis, talking about the burgeoning homelessness crisis, mentioning one of the year's biggest wins in the space, The First.

The First will have a housing resource center and a first-of-its-kind daytime shelter located in the Zion Lutheran Church at 74 First St. Because of the way the development was funded, people don't have to declare themselves as homelessness to use the spaces amenities, like public bathrooms, showers, laundry machines, small lockers and supportive services.

Crews use a crane to install the first half of a modular home at 72 Dewey Ave. in Pittsfield, a property purchased by the Westside Legends to transform into affordable housing for the community. It was one of three units the organization worked on in 2025 and should come to market in early-2026.

Marchetti also brought up The Pearl Ambassadors, a new program in 2025. This program has people staying in The Pearl, Pittsfield's only dedicated homeless shelter, pick up trash and clean the streets for gift cards.

"This work has helped reduce the stigma that comes along with the homelessness, while finding new ways for individuals experiencing homelessness to find a way to be connected with the community," Marchetti said.

Marchetti also highlighted his visit to Northampton's Division of Community Care, which serves as a resource for those experiencing homelessness or struggling with addiction. This visit was meant to better understand how to address the needs of the cities homeless population, Marchetti said.

Marchetti also mentioned the lack of contractors and skilled laborers in Pittsfield, and he announced the city received funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to examine where the shortage is coming from and how to combat it. An example Marchetti gave was continuing supporting vocational programs at Taconic High School.