Holyoke Committee Advances Rent Stabilization Resolution 3-1 to Full Council

HOLYOKE -- June 15, 2026, Holyoke's Development and Government Relations Committee advanced a non-binding rent stabilization resolution 3-1 Monday, with Chair Richard Purcell and Councilors Nicole Masonette and Israel Rivera in favor and Councilor Michael Sullivan opposed. The resolution urges state support for Bill S-1447, which would give municipalities a local option to cap annual rent increases at the consumer price index or 5 percent, whichever is lower, and expresses support for a proposed November 2026 ballot initiative containing a similar statewide cap. Both items now go to the full City Council. Supporters from the group Neighbor to Neighbor cited 2023 data showing 47 percent of Holyoke renters are housing cost-burdened; opponents from the campaign group Housing for Massachusetts, including chair Connor Units, argued the measures would drive small landlords out of the market and depress property values and tax revenue. The committee also voted unanimously to approve a license agreement authorizing a Valley Bike station at Cherry Street and Leary Street near Bowdoin Village, funded through a MassGaming grant at no direct cost to taxpayers.