GREENFIELD — In recognition of the city’s efforts to bolster housing production — from City Council’s vote to augment height restrictions downtown to a series of zoning ordinances to facilitate the construction of new housing — the Massachusetts Housing Partnership has honored Mayor Ginny Desorgher with a Housing Hero Award.

Each year, the Massachusetts Housing Partnership honors individuals and communities for their commitment to supporting and furthering affordable housing. Greenfield is a participant in the organization’s Complete Neighborhoods Partnership, which provides technical advice and assistance for adding and developing housing, transit and jobs downtown.

Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus presented Desorgher with the award at the DCU Center in Worcester last week. The mayor was recognized for the city’s “all-hands-on-deck” approach to housing. At-Large City Councilor John Garrett was brought on stage to speak, further showcasing that the city’s achievements are due to the work of many people.

“When I first took office, housing was one of my most pressing concerns and it is still today,” Desorgher said. “None of this happened without the wonderful people of our city that collaborated to help to bring us here.”

In the last year, the city has approved a series of housing ordinances — some initially introduced by Garrett — allowing first-floor dwelling units in mixed-use commercial spaces and raising the height limit on downtown properties to allow for more dense housing construction.

City Council also approved an amendment allowing for cluster developments (dense housing built on lots consisting of large stretches of open space), lifted its 24-unit cap on downtown housing developments and amended its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance to allow for by-right construction of one ADU per lot across the city, in compliance with the state’s Affordable Homes Act.

“I am beyond thrilled that Greenfield is getting an award for the work that we’re doing locally, and especially because it is work that is vital, not just in our city, but throughout the entire commonwealth,” Garrett said. “We didn’t build our way into this problem in a minute, so it’s not going to be an instant solution, but we’ve been trying in our small city to find solutions that work for our locality.”

Garrett, speaking about the award in an interview Tuesday, referenced the city’s work to close the Hope Street parking lot and designate it for housing development as an example of how the city is working to bring housing downtown, especially to areas near the John W. Olver Transit Center. He added that while some municipalities try to work around the state’s MBTA Communities Act, requiring cities and towns to develop housing near MBTA stations, Greenfield has embraced it.

“The actions we’ve taken, zoning amendments and also the mayor putting forward parking lots to turn them into housing, shows that we’re trying to solve the problem actively — that’s in sharp contrast to a lot of other places in the state like Milton and all those other kind of rich suburbs of Boston who are kicking and screaming to avoid following the MBTA law,” Garrett said. “We’re following that law, and we’re not even required to. … My hope is that encourages the state to notice us and to invest in us, because we’re showing ourselves to be good partners. If there’s competitive housing grants, I’m hoping we’ll get them.”

In an interview Monday, Desorgher emphasized that although the award does not directly provide the city with funding, it will bring Greenfield statewide attention that could indirectly lead to the city receiving future state funds. She also credited Community and Economic Development Director Amy Cahillane and Housing Greenfield Coordinator Susan Worgaftik for their work to make Greenfield’s housing policy one that can compete with “every other city and town in the state.”

“Any time that you draw attention to a city, that’s a great thing as it puts us on the map, so I think that is definitely something where future projects are impacted,” Desorgher explained. “Also, the head of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities was there and listening to us as we mentioned our needs for funding. I think that that definitely will have an impact on the future for us.

“I feel as if it was a community effort,” the mayor continued. “There’s a lot of people in this community that are working to advance housing, and advancing housing is going to make more people live in Greenfield, which will bring us a more robust economy, so it’s really a win-win.”

Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at acammalleri@recorder.com or 413-930-4429.