Author: Dilia Ramirez

Homeless shelter receives $233K state grant

August 23, 2012
Homeless shelter receives $233K state grant
By Deborah Allard

FALL RIVER — Steppingstone Inc. will receive $233,022 in grant funding to expand its homeless shelter just in time for colder weather.
The grant was awarded by the Department of Housing and Community Development, as part of $5.3 million in federal Emergency Solutions grant funds to combat homelessness in the state.
“There’s no way we would survive on our regular operating funds,” said Steppingstone Executive Director Kathleen Schedler-Clark.
Schedler-Clark said the funds will be used to expand the 14-bed shelter by another six beds.
She said there was a “real critical overflow situation” in the winter when beds are urgently needed. While churches help with the overflow, the funds will provide a “permanent fix to that problem.”
Steppingstone, an agency that helps homeless people with behavioral health issues, operates a shelter, clinic, and transitional housing residence. It offers substance abuse treatment, outpatient treatment, case management, and more.
Catholic Social Services in Fall River will receive $70,000 in grant funding for its Rapid Re-housing Program. Its homeless prevention program in the Taunton/Attleboro area will receive $75,000.
The homeless prevention program in Taunton works with people who are being evicted from their homes and tries to keep them from becoming homeless. The Rapid Re-housing program in Fall River works with Steppingstone to find housing for people who are living in the shelter.
Catholic Social Services Director Arlene McNamee said grant funding is used along with funds from its Catholic Charities Campaign to provide staff and support services for these programs.
The problem of homelessness is a growing problem in the area.
“In Fall River, we log about 100 calls per day from people looking for assistance,” McNamee said.
Funding for homeless prevention activities will help an estimated 700 extremely low-income families and individuals statewide who are at risk of becoming homeless.
“As we continue to implement a housing-first model, we know that providing the right resources at the right time helps individuals and families achieve housing sustainability,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, chairman of the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness. “By partnering with the Obama Administration and our Congressional delegation, we are aggressively working towards ending homelessness and ensuring individuals and families most in need receive emergency support and assistance.”

Copyright © 2006-2012 GateHouse Media, Inc.
URL: http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1587351051/Homeless-shelter-receives-233K-state-grant#ixzz25We6HRB

SourceTaunton Daily Gazette

Business Digest for Aug. 3: Affordable housing loans approved for Stow and Framingham

August 3, 2012

Business Digest for Aug. 3
By Staff reports
The MetroWest Daily News

Affordable housing loans approved for Stow and Framingham
The Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. (CEDAC) this week announced commitments of $1.8 million for 11 affordable housing developments designed to provide quality affordable housing for low-income residents across Massachusetts. Among those developments, CEDAC provided loans of $285,000 to the Stow Elderly Housing Corp., $300,000 to the Stow Community Housing Corp. and $50,000 to Cochituate Homes Inc. in Framingham. The loan for the Stow Elderly Housing Corp. will support the construction of 37 new units of supportive housing for frail seniors in Stow. The loan for the Stow Community Housing Corp. will be used for technical assistance in connection with the development of the Pilot Grove Apartments II project. The loan for Cochituate Homes will be used to preserve 160 units of existing affordable housing in Framingham. CEDAC is a private-public, community development finance institution. For more information, visit cedac.org.

Copyright 2012 The MetroWest Daily News. Some rights reserved

URL: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/business/x521650201/Business-Digest-for-Aug-3#ixzz22milVxyI

SourceMetroWest Daily News

Framingham, Stow affordable housing projects receive loans

August 2, 2012

Framingham, Stow affordable housing projects receive loans
By Brian Benson/Daily News staff
The MetroWest Daily News

Affordable housing developments in Framingham and Stow were among 11 projects across Massachusetts that recently received loans from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.
The corporation, a private-public community development finance institution, announced this week it approved a $285,000 loan to Stow Elderly Housing Corporation, $300,000 to Stow Community Housing Corporation and $50,000 to Cochituate Homes, Inc. in Framingham.
“It is encouraging to see affordable housing production and preservation in the MetroWest region of the state,” Roger Herzog, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation’s executive director, said in a statement. “There are individuals and families in this affluent part of Massachusetts that are in need of greater access to affordable housing.”
Cochituate Homes, Inc. received $50,000 to preserve 160 units of existing affordable housing in Framingham. The loan will help Cochituate Homes’ board develop a financing plan to maintain the development’s affordability, according to a release.
The Stow Elderly Housing Corporation loan will help the organization build 37 new units for seniors. The project is next to an existing 50-apartment complex for seniors.
Also in Stow, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation approved a $300,000 loan increase to the Stow Community Housing Corporation, as part of the Pilot Grove Apartments II project. The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has now awarded that development $500,000 in loans. The project includes 30 new units of affordable rental housing next to Pilot Grove Apartments I, which has 60 units of mixed-income housing.

Copyright 2012 The MetroWest Daily News. Some rights reserved

URL: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/x521649344/Framingham-Stow-affordable-housing-projects-receive-loans#ixzz22mh3Xql

SourceMetroWest Daily News

A loan granted, a life grown smoother

July 26, 2012

A loan granted, a life grown smoother
By David Rattigan, Globe Correspondent

This is not about a wheelchair ramp, but about the change it can create.
“Prior to having the wheelchair ramp, Donald was basically housebound, because he wasn’t able to use his legs,” said Elizabeth Langosy, 62, of Medford, speaking about her husband and a modification they made to their home through a state low- and no-interest loan program.
The loan is part of the state’s Home Modification Loan program, which provides help to people requiring modifications to their home due to disability or age. Earlier this year, the program reached a milestone when it gave its 1,500th loan.
The Langosys were not the recipient of that particular loan, but are a good example of the change the program can make in people’s lives.
Donald, 64, is a painter whose work is featured in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts as well as The Fogg Museum, the oldest of Harvard University’s art museums.
He also has secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis, which means at different times, his legs go completely limp or stick out rigidly. Before the installation of the ramp, it was s struggle for Elizabeth, her two daughters, or a son-in-law to maneuver Donald out of the house and into the car.
“Often we would try to get him to a medical appointment, and I would just have to cancel it because we would be hours and hours late, no matter how early we started,” Elizabeth said. “It would also be difficult and humiliating for Donald, as we tried to bring him up and down the stairs of the house that way. And people are funny, too. People would just hurry by without offering to help. I think there’s a shyness in the world about disabled people.”
With the installation of the wheelchair ramp leading from the porch of the home they bought with their daughter’s family, leaving the house became as simple as wheeling him down the ramp. He’s signed up for The Ride, which provides transportation for those with disabilities, and also with the Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Mount Auburn Hospital, where caregivers helped him acquire a new, more versatile wheelchair.
“We’ve even gone for some walks around the neighborhood,” Elizabeth said. “He’s gone from being completely restricted and home all the time and having even a simple doctor’s appointment being almost impossible, to being more able to be more involved with the community, and his doctors.
“It’s made an enormous difference. I almost can’t put into words the how much of a difference it’s made to have that door opened for him.”
Ditto for the other changes the Langosys were able to make with the $30,000 loan, specifically modifications that transformed their closet-sized bathroom to something much improved for Donald’s needs.
“The bathroom is really a nice room now. It’s actually the nicest room in the house,” said Donald, possessor of a sly sense of humor. “When you come over, we can have cocktails in the shower.”
Donald and Elizabeth Langosy were able to open that door by using a no-interest loan from the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership, plus grants of $1,000 from Mystic Valley Elder Services and $2,000 from the MS Society.
“We have a survey people fill out at the end of their projects about their experience, and the glowing things that people say about how it’s changed their life is really rewarding,” said Susan Gillam, program and outreach coordinator for the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, which administers the Home Modification Loan Program statewide through six regional nonprofit housing organizations that work directly with consumers during the application process. North of Boston, those include the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership and Community Teamwork, Inc. of Lowell.
According to statistics provided by the corporation, through January, $33 million had been loaned through the program since 2000, to people in 227 of the state’s 351 cities and towns. Almost 80 percent of those have been no-interest loans, the average loan is slightly more than $22,000, and the money has gone to creating or altering 554 bathrooms and 575 ramps or lifts.
“With a relatively small dollar amount you can really have an impact,” said Karen Kelley Gill, the Community Economic Development agency’s deputy director and chief financial officer.
“It’s not the easiest thing to take advantage of, because there’s a lot of paperwork involved,” said Donald Langosy. “But when it happens, it’s fantastic. I’m just a humble painter, and my wife’s a writer, and we could have never made these changes in our life except for this program. It was a godsend.”
For more information, go to www.mass.gov/mrc/hmlp.
David Rattigan can be reached at Drattigan.globe@gmail.com.

© Copyright 2012 Globe Newspaper Company.
URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2012/07/26/a_loan_granted_a_life_grown_smoother

SourceBoston Globe

YWCA wins $100K loan for child-care program

June 28, 2012
YWCA wins $100K loan for child-care program
Newburyport Daily News
NEWBURYPORT — The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has approved a $100,000 loan to help expand the YWCA Greater Newburyport’s child care offerings.
The money will be used to renovate a 9,000-square-foot facility currently operating as early care and education space in Newburyport.
Ellie Davis, director of programs and community relations for the YWCA Greater Newburyport, said her agency will be opening a new branch at 131/2 Pond St. in Newburyport this fall. The signature program at the new facility will be its YWCA Children’s Center, which will provide quality, affordable care for toddlers and preschoolers age 15 months to 5 years old.
The renovation will help the YWCA meet one of its strategic goals, which is to expand its existing child care programming. The YWCA intends to initially operate three classrooms and expand to four classrooms in a year. In the program’s first year, officials expect to serve 59 children, toddlers and preschoolers and provide a before- and after-school program for kindergartners and a half-day preschool program.
“We are very excited about this new project as it allows us to build on our strong reputation that is based on our years of providing quality after-school care,” Davis said in an email.
Nicole Brennan will be the director of the new center.
The Children’s Investment Fund, which is affiliated with CEDAC, provides technical assistance and financing to nonprofit child care centers that serve low-income populations. It approved the permanent construction loan to the YWCA.
For more, contact the YWCA, 13 Market St., 978-465-9922.

URL: http://www.siteencore.com/cnhi/newburyportnews/shop_local/TABBQ_launch/index.html
© 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.

SourceNewburyport Daily News

YWCA wins $100K loan for child-care program

June 28, 2012
YWCA wins $100K loan for child-care program
Newburyport Daily News
NEWBURYPORT — The Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has approved a $100,000 loan to help expand the YWCA Greater Newburyport’s child care offerings.
The money will be used to renovate a 9,000-square-foot facility currently operating as early care and education space in Newburyport.
Ellie Davis, director of programs and community relations for the YWCA Greater Newburyport, said her agency will be opening a new branch at 131/2 Pond St. in Newburyport this fall. The signature program at the new facility will be its YWCA Children’s Center, which will provide quality, affordable care for toddlers and preschoolers age 15 months to 5 years old.
The renovation will help the YWCA meet one of its strategic goals, which is to expand its existing child care programming. The YWCA intends to initially operate three classrooms and expand to four classrooms in a year. In the program’s first year, officials expect to serve 59 children, toddlers and preschoolers and provide a before- and after-school program for kindergartners and a half-day preschool program.
“We are very excited about this new project as it allows us to build on our strong reputation that is based on our years of providing quality after-school care,” Davis said in an email.
Nicole Brennan will be the director of the new center.
The Children’s Investment Fund, which is affiliated with CEDAC, provides technical assistance and financing to nonprofit child care centers that serve low-income populations. It approved the permanent construction loan to the YWCA.
For more, contact the YWCA, 13 Market St., 978-465-9922.

URL: http://www.siteencore.com/cnhi/newburyportnews/shop_local/TABBQ_launch/index.html
© 2012 Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.

SourceNewburyport Daily News

Congressman, Officials Inaugurate Saint Polycarp Affordable Housing Project

June 25, 2012
Congressman, Officials Inaugurate Saint Polycarp Affordable Housing Project
Rep. Michael Capuano joined city and state officials Monday to officially open Saint Polycarp Village Phase II, which has 29 units of affordable rental housing.
By Chris Orchard

Rep. Michael Capuano, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and a slate of other officials conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to officially open Saint Polycarp Village Phase II, a $10 million section of Saint Polycarp Village.
Saint Polycarp Village is a $30 million affordable housing community in Winter Hill, built along Mystic Avenue by the Somerville Community Corporation.
The community, now close to being finished, sits on the former Saint Polycarp Parish land once owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
Phase I of the project, with 24 rental units, was completed in 2009, and Phase II, which Capuano was celebrating Monday, opened in February and has 29 rental units.
Construction on Phase III of the project, the final phase, will begin this fall and should be complete by 2013, according to Danny LeBlanc, CEO of the Somerville Community Corporation. When it’s done, the affordable housing community will have 84 units of affordable rental units along with green space, retail space and a playground. The development also preserved the Saint Polycarp Church structure.
“I think most people have forgotten the connection between the federal government and their daily lives,” Capuano said Monday, adding it’s hard to forget that connection at a place like Saint Polycarp. “Almost every penny [of these projects] starts at the federal level,” he said.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, also speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said the project has “transformed the neighborhood … it’s really nice to see this transformation.”
The two joined Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development at Monday’s ribbon-cutting.
Other speakers included Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente—who said, “It’s wonderful to see what’s happened in this block. I remember it as a block of overgrowth”—Tom Gleason of MassHousing, Victor Sostar of First Sterling Financial, Clark Ziegler of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Mike Rosenberg of Bank of America, Roger Herzog of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation and Bob Van Meter of Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Copyright © 2012 Patch. All Rights Reserved.
URL: http://somerville.patch.com/articles/congressman-officials-inaugurate-saint-polycarp-affordable-housing-project-photos#c

SourceSomerville Patch

Congressman, Officials Inaugurate Saint Polycarp Affordable Housing Project

June 25, 2012
Congressman, Officials Inaugurate Saint Polycarp Affordable Housing Project
Rep. Michael Capuano joined city and state officials Monday to officially open Saint Polycarp Village Phase II, which has 29 units of affordable rental housing.
By Chris Orchard

Rep. Michael Capuano, Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and a slate of other officials conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to officially open Saint Polycarp Village Phase II, a $10 million section of Saint Polycarp Village.
Saint Polycarp Village is a $30 million affordable housing community in Winter Hill, built along Mystic Avenue by the Somerville Community Corporation.
The community, now close to being finished, sits on the former Saint Polycarp Parish land once owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston.
Phase I of the project, with 24 rental units, was completed in 2009, and Phase II, which Capuano was celebrating Monday, opened in February and has 29 rental units.
Construction on Phase III of the project, the final phase, will begin this fall and should be complete by 2013, according to Danny LeBlanc, CEO of the Somerville Community Corporation. When it’s done, the affordable housing community will have 84 units of affordable rental units along with green space, retail space and a playground. The development also preserved the Saint Polycarp Church structure.
“I think most people have forgotten the connection between the federal government and their daily lives,” Capuano said Monday, adding it’s hard to forget that connection at a place like Saint Polycarp. “Almost every penny [of these projects] starts at the federal level,” he said.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, also speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said the project has “transformed the neighborhood … it’s really nice to see this transformation.”
The two joined Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development at Monday’s ribbon-cutting.
Other speakers included Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente—who said, “It’s wonderful to see what’s happened in this block. I remember it as a block of overgrowth”—Tom Gleason of MassHousing, Victor Sostar of First Sterling Financial, Clark Ziegler of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Mike Rosenberg of Bank of America, Roger Herzog of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation and Bob Van Meter of Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

Copyright © 2012 Patch. All Rights Reserved.
URL: http://somerville.patch.com/articles/congressman-officials-inaugurate-saint-polycarp-affordable-housing-project-photos#c

SourceSomerville Patch

CEDAC NOT Mentioned: Ribbon cutting for Bowers Brook Apartments

Ribbon cutting for Bowers Brook Apartments
By Mary E. Arata, marata@nashobapub.com
Posted: 06/18/2012 02:58:52 PM EDT

HARVARD – Official ribbon-cutting ceremonies took place on Wednesday, June 13 for the new Bowers Brook Apartments at 196 Ayer Road. The architect-designed project is located in the Ayer Road Village District zone in Harvard, which encouraged the development of mixed use housing with affordable inventory.
What resulted is a mixed use park, including retail stores and office space. At the end of the shared driveway is the 42 unit Bowers Brook building, providing 55+ housing for seniors. There are 26 one-bedroom units and 16 two-bedroom apartment units.
The maximum rent is $965 for a one-bedroom apartment and $1,195 for a two-bedroom apartment which includes all utilities.
Each unit comes equipped with individually controlled heat and air-conditioning, stainless steel appliances (stove, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher), hardwood floors and handicapped accessible bathrooms and shower stalls. There is an elevator for upper floor access, a community room, and on-site laundry facilities. Artwork from Larry Powers Gallery of Acton adorns the hallways.
There’s onsite parking for residents and visitors. The development created by Lou Russo of L.D. Russo of Harvard is located immediately off Route 2 at exit 38B on Ayer Road in the new building located behind the building housing Dunkin’ Donuts. The building is located three miles from the commuter rail train stop in downtown Ayer.
There was public and private financing for the project including a $1,979,036 subsidy from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), channeling federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program monies. In addition there was $756,000 in federal low income housing tax credits.
The project was also made possible in part thanks to a $200,000 zero-interest loan provided by the Harvard Municipal Affordable Housing Trust (MAHT).
Russo recalled his first visit to the Harvard Planning Board in October 2008. Since then, Russo recalled a steady stream of meetings with the Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Board of Health, Board of Selectmen, and Building Inspector Gabe Vellante. Russo thanked local officials and Town Administrator Timothy Bragan for their assistance with the project.
“The highlight for us is getting to know our neighbors,” said Russo of Chuck, Linda and Randy Yanikoski of Lancaster County Road.
The financing closing took place in March 2011. A year later, the doors opened to tenants. Russo thanked his staff for its “hard work and dedication is responsible for our timely construction.”
Russo thanked the throngs of state and federal agencies, firms and individuals involved in making the project a reality, including his wife Cindy Russo, who provided both legal guidance “and unwavering support for this project.”
Russo called Mort Miller of the quasi-public Harvard Municipal Affordable Housing Trust a “consistent champion of Bowers Brook.” Miller said the project will “move Harvard closer to the state-mandated goal of 10 percent affordable housing.”
In order to block dense Chapter “40B” housing projects, Harvard must have at least 10 percent affordable housing. Currently only 5.4 percent, or 108 homes, are counted as Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) among Harvard’s 1,982 housing units counted in the 2010 U.S. Census. All 42 units will chip away at the town’s affordable housing deficit.
“So long as we make progress towards this goal, the town can be more selective,” among any proposed future development, said Miller. “It’s truly a win-win situation.”
Miller praised Russo for overcoming “insurmountable hurdles” in untangling septic and water service issues with the site. But Miller said Russo was a local developer “with a proven record” who got the work done.
Miller said the trust made a “modest investment” in the form of the no-interest loan which amounts to less than $5,000 per unit yet “I heard complaints about that also.” Miller expressed vindication, though, as there were 26 of the 42 units leased as of last week, with 12 more tenancies pending.
Over the 27 years that he’s lived in Harvard, Miller said he’d been involved in several efforts to bring affordable housing to Harvard. “This was, in many ways, the most successful.”
As the audience sat sheltered under a white tent in the front parking lot, selectman Ron Ricci joked that detail-oriented Russo planned the rainfall that day to “further enhance the lawn.” Ricci said the project has been a blessing for some seniors that are downsizing and wished to remain in town, while also providing housing for new residents who wish to live near their Harvard loved ones. “That’s a good thing,” said Ricci.
Ricci said he was thanked recently by a Harvard resident whose mother-in-law had just moved into a Bowers Book apartment, having relocated from Vermont. Ricci said the plaudits all belong to L.D. Russo Development, Inc. “The real credit belongs to Lou and Cindy Russo I’m not sure even Lou realized how many obstacles there was to overcome This was a complicated project. It’s not only complete, but it was completed with style. It’s really something the Town of Harvard can be proud to have.”
State Senator Jamie Eldridge co-chairs the joint committee for affordable housing. He said the project’s roots harkened back to his first term as senator “for an idea of the breadth of this project.” The DHCP funding, and tax credits, were well spent as the state battles “the biggest barrier to Massachusetts’ economic development – housing costs.”
“I want to commend Lou and Cindy on their vision and this whole complex,” said Eldridge. “It really adds a lot to Harvard and the region.”
DHCD Deputy Undersecretary Arthur Jemison, a native of Amherst, said “I’m a small-town Massachusetts boy myself.”
“I know in a town like this, it’s really a group effort,” said Jemison. “We appreciate you sticking to it and bringing everyone together. This is just 42 units of the 9,000 affordable housing units that the Patrick Administration has invested in since 2007. It’s a big number. We’re proud of every one of them.”
North Middlesex Savings Bank provided loan financing. President and CEO William Marshall said Russo launched the development during a time of great financial uncertainty. “Financial institutions in general, [at least] according to the media, stopped lending,” Marshall said. Marshall said the Bowers Brook project “makes a statement” and flies in the face of those false assertions.
“Lou and Cindy had the economic environment necessary to follow through on a project like this,” said Marshall. North Middlesex Savings Bank “continues to care for the community and has continued to lend in this environment for this area to prosper.”
And loan guarantees were provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office. USDA State Director Jonathan Healy said his agency is more than “inspecting pork bellies” and plays a hand in housing projects in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Healy called Bowers Brook “a stellar project.”
The USDA provided an 80 percent guarantee behind the $3.8 million NMSB loan. Healy said “all these little pieces can fit together” to cobble financing for these projects.
The tax credits were bundled into an investment portfolio managed by Boston Capital Advisors and purchased by Berkshire Hathaway, said Russo. That came together thanks to both kismet and coffee.
Scott Arrighi, Vice President of Acquisitions for Boston Capital Advisors LLC said he lives in the area and hops off of Route 2 to buy coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. “Little did I know I’d be staring over the future site of Bowers Brook.” Later he’d heard of the tax credit award to Russo and touched base to purchase the credits. “I’d never met him before.”
Arrighi said he did initially receive some “push back” to investing in Harvard’s housing stock. “Harvard, Massachusetts?” Arrighi said he was queried. “You really want to put affordable housing in Harvard, Massachusetts?’ We said absolutely.”
Dan Barton, a principal architect at Maguel Associates located next door in the office park, said the firm was happy to play a part in the project. “It’s wonderful to get to create and don’t have to worry about the financing.” Barton said the housing is a “24/7 component that breathes life” into the complex.
Stewart Property Management operates the facility and is handling the application process. For more information call (978) 456-7300 or visit www.BowersBrook.com.
Follow Mary Arata at Twitter.com/maryearata or Facebook.com/mary.arata.
Copyright © 2012 MediaNews Group
URL: http://www.nashobapublishing.com/harvard_news/ci_20882554/ribbon-cutting-bowers-brook-apartments#ixzz1yLUhWdeV

SourceNashoba Publishing

New apartments to be called ‘Water Mill’

Wednesday, June 13, 2012
New apartments to be called ‘Water Mill’
The former Whitney & Company building on the corner of Water and Whitney streets, being transformed into 40 apartments, will be called Water Mill Apartments.
Officials unveiled the name at a Monday ceremony, which included Congressman John Olver, D-Mass., and numerous other elected officials. The ambitious project, expected to be complete by September, includes affordable 1-, 2- 3- and 4-bedroom apartments.
According to Marc Dohan, executive director of the Twin Cities CDC, which is managing the project, coming up with a name was a challenge. “We wanted a name that reflected the long and proud history of the building, as well as one that was easy to remember.”
Brothers Fred and Walter Whitney built the original structure in 1893 to accommodate their growing box manufacturing company. Over the ensuing decade, several large additions were added to the building. At the turn of the 20th century, the city’s two major box makers, E.F. Dodge & Co. and Whitney & Company, employed upwards of 200 people. The building was last used as a manufacturing facility in 1961.
Monthly rents for the LEED-certified apartments, which must meet minimum standards for the design, construction and operation of a high performance green building, will range from approximately $640 to $770, depending on the size of the unit. Some units will be based on a tenant’s income.
The property manager for Water Mill Apartments is Wingate Companies, which can be reached at (978) 840-1420.
Funders and partners for the project include: City of Leominster— Fitchburg-Leominster, HOME Consortium; Office of Congressman John Olver, through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development; The Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development; HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), Housing Stabilization Funds, CDBG-NSP Program, Community Development Action Grant; Massachusetts Historical Commission; MassHousing, Massachusetts Affordable Housing Trust Fund; MassDevelopment; National Park Service; Neighborworks® America; Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation; TD Bank; Avidia Bank; Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, Community Based Housing, Predevelopment and Acquisition funding; Massachusetts Brownfields Tax Credits; Energy Rebates—Massachusetts Multifamily New Construction Pilot; Twin Cities Community Development Corporation; Davis Square Architects; Dellbrook Construction and Wingate Companies.

Copyright 2006-2012, the Holden Landmark Corp.
http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2012-06-15/Your_City/New_apartments_to_be_called_Water_Mill.html

SourceLeominster Champion