Lisa B. Alberghini
‘Pipeline of worthy projects’
Nearly 200 apartments for low-income elderly and disabled tenants will be built in Massachusetts thanks to more than $24.7 million in federal grants.
The grants are part of more than $643 million that the U.S. Housing and Urban Development awarded throughout the country. In Massachusetts, 10 nonprofit developers will use the funds to construct units in Auburn, Billerica, Holyoke, Lee, Boston, Townsend, Chicopee, Gloucester, Groveland and Merrimac.
The Archdiocese of Boston’s Planning Office for Urban Affairs, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, received $4.7 million and a five-year rental subsidy of $496,800 to build 35 one-bedroom apartments for low-income elders in Billerica.
Lisa B. Alberghini, POUA’s executive director, said St. Theresa of Liseux Parish approached the nonprofit three years ago with an interest in developing a 9-acre parcel the church owns. The land, located behind the church, abuts a residential neighborhood and is near the Billerica Mall.
“The church wanted to develop something that could further their mission,” Alberghini said. “It’s a parish that does a lot of work proactively throughout the community.”
POUA plans to apply for a permit in early 2008 and seek Low Income Tax Credit financing in February.
Alberghini said town boards and the community have expressed strong support for the project. “The town was very proactive in wanting to help get some affordable elderly housing built,” she said.
POUA faced stiff competition to win the HUD grant. The developer applied for funding three times through the Section 202 program, which nonprofits use to build and renovate low-income elderly housing with supportive services.
“This is one of the consequences of diminishing resources at the federal level and increasing need,” she said. “There’s a pipeline of worthy projects looking for money.”
‘So Competitive’
ETC Development Corp. in Boston applied for Section 202 funding four times. Initially, the developer wanted to build 51 units for low-income seniors in Boston’s Hyde Park. ETC Development eventually reduced the project size and now will build 30 one-bedroom apartments on a 4-acre parcel along the Neponset River that also will include homeownership units.
“It has become so hard and so competitive to get funding and this last year we were given the message that if you want to get the money, you have to ask for less. We went down to the lowest number of units that we thought was feasible,” said Paula Herrington, ETC’s executive director.
ETC received more than $4.28 million and a rental subsidy of $438,300.
The elderly housing complex will replace an old manufacturing building that used to produce pizza boxes. The site is near Cleary Square in Hyde Park and Mattapan Square.
ETC will build a 48-unit mixed-income homeownership development next to the senior apartments. The project will include two buildings with 12 condos each, and a series of duplex townhouses totaling 24 units surrounding the perimeter.
“We look for sites that we feel provide increasing housing opportunity, particularly to minority groups,” said Herrington. “As a community developer, it’s important for us to be going into a situation where we feel we’re strengthening the community.”
Construction of the condos and townhouses is expected to start in the spring of next year, followed by the elderly housing in the fall.
“We’re thrilled to be doing this. The city and state have been very supportive of our efforts. Now that we have this HUD money, we’re feeling like finally we can move ahead,” said Herrington.
