Committee advances senior housing through farmland partnership pilot
Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee · Meeting of May 27, 2026
Deerfield senior housing committee launches state-backed farmland conversion pilot. Committee Chair Lili Dwight and members C. Blake Gilmore and Carolyn Shores Ness met with state legislators to explore a model allowing seniors to downsize while young farmers purchase their land using Agricultural Preservation Restrictions.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has selected Deerfield as a pilot community to prioritize non-preserved farmland for senior housing. The committee identified Community Preservation Act dollars, the RAFT program, and Eversource's Good Neighbor Fund as funding sources for senior rental and heating assistance.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 281 words
Source: the Ad Hoc Senior Housing Committee meeting of May 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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