Tag: Housing

Howland Mansion Restoration Project Starts at last in New Bedford

NEW BEDFORD — It’s been years in the making, and the Waterfront Historic Area League has officially launched a restoration project of the John Howland Jr. family home at 38 South Sixth St.

The $2.9 million renovation will convert the house to seven market-rate apartments.

It was already subdivided into apartments when fire struck in 2005. Following that, the rare red brick mansion was exposed to the elements for five years before WHALE and the city stepped in to buy the building and repair the roof to stop further deterioration.

The quest was complicated and time-consuming. It has taken five years to develop the plans and put together the financing maze, but now the project has actually begun, with chain link fence already surrounding the property and the plywood starting to be removed from the window openings.

WHALE Director Teri Bernert said that the project should be completed by November.

The Howland House was built in 1834, one of several homes in the neighborhood built by the Howland family.

The family is one of the best known in New Bedford, having made their fortune in the whaling business.

Howland mansion restoration project starts at last in New Bedford When the fire occurred, there was some question whether the building could be saved. But WHALE has taken on impossible projects for over a half century.

So a team was assembled consisting of WHALE, the nonprofit developer The Resource Inc. (TRI) and architect Christopher “Kit” Wise, and everyone worked on the plans and the financing.

Bernert called the financing “very difficult,” but eventually things fell into place with funds from many sources.

Funds were contributed by the City of New Bedford, The 1772 Foundation, Bristol County Savings Bank, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., the Mass. Department of Housing and Community Development, the Mass. Historical Commission, the Mass. Housing Investment Corp., and the National Park Service Historic Tax Credit Division.

Federal and state officials are aware of the house, and the contractor has begun examining and testing the brickwork to match its color as well as repointing the mortar to historic preservation standards.

The building was sold to TRI last week, said Bernert. The general contractor for the project is D.F. Pray.

http://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20170428/howland-mansion-restoration-project-starts-at-last-in-new-bedford

SourceSouthCoast Today

Jackson Square’s Master Plan Comes To Life

Since the beginning of the new year, the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) has invested more than $1.1 million in efforts by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC) to revitalize Jackson Square and the surrounding community. On March 2, CEDAC approved a $400,000 loan to JPNDC for the development of General Heath Square Apartments, a 47-unit affordable rental property located a quarter mile from Jackson Square. A few weeks earlier, CEDAC approved $750,000 for the nonprofit’s new development at 25 Amory St. The project, which shares a parcel with a proposed mixed-income building by The Community Builders (TCB), is the latest in a series of affordable and market-rate housing developments making up the Jackson Square Redevelopment Master Plan.

Sara Barcan Head Shot

Sara Barcan

The Jackson Square Redevelopment, led by Jackson Square Partners (JSP) – a collaboration among JPNDC, Urban Edge, TCB and Hyde Square Task Force – is one of the largest community-driven developments in the country and will create over 300 new homes, and community and commercial space. JSP received a $3.4 million MassWorks grant in September, which will promote the development of infrastructure and greenspace. This current grant, along with the $4.7 million previously committed by the commonwealth for infrastructure improvements, reinforces the strong support for such revitalization.

The Jackson Square story goes back more than five decades. When the commonwealth proposed building a commuter highway to run through the heart of Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, residents of the adjoining communities organized against it. They succeeded in halting the construction, but not before public agencies had acquired acres of land and demolished homes. In Jackson Square, 12 parcels of land comprising almost 9 acres and a total of 793,000 square feet lay empty for decades.

The then-Boston Redevelopment Authority appointed a Jackson Coordinating Group with representatives from local organizations in 1999. A comprehensive planning process over the next five years culminated in developer designation of JSP. JSP’s vision to redevelop and give new life to Jackson Square has made a tremendous difference in ensuring that the revived neighborhood is meeting the needs of current residents, including improved access to the MBTA, rather than contributing to their displacement.

CEDAC joined a consortium of local lenders to provide the Jackson Square Partners a $1.5 million predevelopment loan for master planning in 2006. Since then, the neighborhood has blossomed with new affordable housing developments focused on helping those who would be most at risk of displacement from gentrification, and CEDAC has made additional predevelopment and permanent loans to advance these projects.

Construction’s Ripples Felt Beyond JP’s Borders

Jackson Square saw the first of the affordable housing sub-projects built in 2010. Although not technically part of the master plan, JPNDC’s 270 Centre St., which provides 30 new units of affordable housing as well as street-level commercial space, now acts as a gateway for the new neighborhood. A second critical affordable housing project, Urban Edge’s Jackson Commons, was completed in 2015. Located on Columbus Avenue, Jackson Commons includes 37 new units of affordable housing, with six set aside for formerly homeless families, and office space in a newly renovated century-old building. That same year, JPNDC broke ground at 75 Amory Ave., which will bring 39 units of affordable housing to the neighborhood.

These projects, along with The Community Builders’ completed mixed-use, mixed-income 225 Centre St. project adjacent to the Jackson Square MBTA station, now form a ring of redevelopment around Jackson Square. They have spurred other community-based construction projects near Jackson Square, like the General Heath Square project and the construction of Nurtury Learning Lab, a state-of-the-art nonprofit child care center that opened in 2014. Urban Edge is at the beginning stages of developing a new affordable housing complex at a parcel on Columbus Avenue that is outside the master plan area, but still a part of the neighborhood, and the CDC continues to work on creating the Jackson Square Recreation Center. Most recently, the Boston Housing Authority announced that it will be soliciting proposals to rebuild a portion of the nearby Mildred C. Hailey public housing complex, formerly known as Bromley-Heath, and has recently approved the JP/ROX rezoning plan, which will encourage mixed-income housing for the neighborhood adjacent to Jackson Square.

The success of Jackson Square in creating new homes for residents across a range of incomes not only shows that local and state governments can work with nonprofit partners to help spur neighborhood and economic development in healthy ways, but that they can also create an ongoing and positive ripple effect beyond neighborhood borders. It’s a model worth following.

Roger Herzog is the executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation. Sara Barcan is CEDAC’s director of housing development.

http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/2017/03/jackson-squares-master-plan-comes-life/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=socialnetwork

SourceBanker & Tradesman

Northampton receives funding for affordable housing project

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – The Baker administration announced on Tuesday millions of dollars in funding for an affordable housing complex in Northampton. The project is planned for the former Northampton Lumber Yard property on Pleasant Street.

The Governor’s office said funding will come from low-income housing tax credits, rental housing subsidies and other state funds. The plan includes developing 55 units of affordable family housing and retail space in the downtown area

“We are strengthening cities and towns across the Commonwealth, by partnering with local stakeholders to deliver on their unique visions for community development,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “The tools we are bringing to bear in Northampton, in public infrastructure and affordable housing funding, will allow this city to create a dynamic new entrance to its downtown, while opening up new housing options for families.”

“Northampton has displayed a remarkable level of collaboration and partnership to craft its Pleasant Street corridor master plan, and we are pleased to partner with the city to help deliver on that plan’s promise,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “We are growing strong regional economies, by empowering communities to pursue long-term planning, and then providing them with the necessary resources to reach their goals for economic growth and new housing development.”

Some local business owners told 22News they’re worried parking will be a problem. The owner of Harold’s Garage, Michael Willard, said, “Well it’s going to affect everybody. All these store fronts across the street. People aren’t gonna spend how long looking for a parking place, they’ll just go back to the malls like they always do.”

According to the Governor’s office, the Department of Housing and Community Development awarded the project $1.79 million in state and federal low-income housing tax credits and $3.3 million in direct rental housing subsidies.

Construction could start as soon as September of 2017.

http://wwlp.com/2017/01/10/northampton-receives-funding-for-affordable-housing-project/

‘Lumberyard’ affordable housing in Northampton wins $5 million from state

The Lumberyard Apartments — a 70,000-square-foot affordable housing project planned at 265 Pleasant St. — will move forward with a $5 million investment from the state.

The Baker administration announced Tuesday that its Department of Housing and Community Development will award the project $1.79 million in state and federal low-income housing tax credits and $3.3 million in direct rental housing subsidies.

The Valley Community Development Corporation plans 55 rental units, with 11 reserved for very low-income households, at the site of the former Northampton Lumber.

The Lumberyard Apartments — a 70,000-square-foot affordable housing project planned at 265 Pleasant St. — will move forward with a $5 million investment from the state.

The Baker administration announced Tuesday that its Department of Housing and Community Development will award the project $1.79 million in state and federal low-income housing tax credits and $3.3 million in direct rental housing subsidies.

The Valley Community Development Corporation plans 55 rental units, with 11 reserved for very low-income households, at the site of the former Northampton Lumber.

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/01/lumberyard_affordable_housing.html

© 2016 MassLive LLC. All rights reserved

SourceMassLive

AT HOME IN NORTHAMPTON: Nonprofit Developers Tackle Two Projects On Northampton’s Pleasant Street; Efforts Help Revitalize Neighborhoods, Provide Housing Options For Individuals And Families

The nonprofit housing development community is playing an increasingly prominent role in revitalizing neighborhoods throughout the commonwealth that have gone through years of neglect and disinvestment. In some cities, the economics often don’t work for private sector investment, but nonprofit development of mixed-use projects, coupled with public infrastructure funding, can transform the perception of value and the actual experience for local residents. More and more, we are seeing community-based, nonprofit affordable housing developers – and the commonwealth’s affordable housing finance system – step in, to positive results.

Massachusetts has a well-regarded affordable housing financing and community development system that continues to produce and preserve affordable units across the state. CEDAC works with nonprofit developers in many different settings – from rural areas in Western Massachusetts to neighborhoods in Boston – to ensure that they have the resources they need early in their projects to turn an

idea into reality. We provide the early stage capital financing and technical assistance that community-based organizations need to get an affordable housing project off the ground. And for many municipalities, those efforts help revitalize neighborhoods and provide housing options for individuals and families across a range of incomes.

Gateway To Downtown Northampton

We have seen that kind of nonprofit reinvestment happen in Boston, in places like Roxbury’s Jackson and Dudley squares, but this isn’t only happening in the region’s largest city. It’s also taking place in Northampton, where in recent months CEDAC has been involved with two separate nonprofit-led projects that are helping to improve an important district of the city to turn it into a more welcoming gateway for visitors and residents alike.

One project to transform an underutilized, single-room occupancy building on Pleasant Street in Northampton into new affordable units with both housing and services was more than a decade in the making. The city of Northampton had long looked for a nonprofit developer to address this troubled property but was unsuccessful until HAP Housing, a regional affordable housing developer based in Springfield, decided to take on the challenge. CEDAC provided HAP Housing with a $1.6 million acquisition loan and $1 million in predevelopment funding, which allowed HAP to acquire the site and undertake architectural, legal and financial planning for the project. The city of Northampton has also made $450,000 in funds available for the development and the commonwealth’s Department of Housing and Community Development awarded the project $6.6 million in housing tax credits and other capital funds. Now under construction, Live 155 will offer 70 studio- and one-bedroom apartments above street-level commercial space, which aligns with Northampton’s new urban design goals.

Another community-based organization based in Northampton, Valley CDC, is undertaking a similarly ambitious and important project on Pleasant Street across the street from Live 155. Formerly occupied by Northampton Lumber, this 1.23 acre site will create 55 new units of housing as well as commercial space. CEDAC is providing $1.8 million in loans to help the organization gain site control and address other early costs associated with the project. Furthermore, both Live 155 and the Northampton Lumber sites are close to transit options, including area Amtrak and bus stations, which will give residents transit opportunities for work.

CEDAC’s investment is already spurring additional interest and resources into this part of Northampton. In November, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash announced that Northampton had received a $2.5 million MassWorks infrastructure grant that will fund the replacement of a storm drain under the Northampton Lumber site, while also improving the overall character and function of Pleasant Street, with enhanced bike lanes, sidewalks and benches, among other upgrades. In total, the cumulative public and private investment in both projects is an estimated $42.6 million.

The experience in Northampton shows that knowledgeable nonprofit organizations, dedicated community planners and an efficient, functioning community development system can play an important role in creating sustainable, thriving communities that also meet the housing needs of vulnerable residents. As other communities, including some of the region’s more distressed cities and towns, think about ways to revitalize their neighborhoods, they would do well to look to their community development agencies and nonprofit real estate developers to provide similar inspiration.

Roger Herzog is the executive director of the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC). Lionel Romain is CEDAC’s director of housing for Central and Western Massachusetts.

 

http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/2016/12/nonprofit-developers-tackle-two-projects-northamptons-pleasant-street/?utm_campaign=Daily&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=39750107&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8YaoO2DQrMys0ygxPy29WYpgEU-AzBVqf4n7rYfBiE4_JLOEJ2BQKtee9Pf2lfSC_6TT_8rWsUC5xwf21EIIcI5CwRSQ&_hsmi=39750107

SourceBanker & Tradesman

88 Hudson revitalizes Chinatown with more affordable homes for working families

Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), a 29-year-old nonprofit developer in Boston, is proud to create more affordable homes for working families at 88 Hudson Street in Chinatown. The project will create 51 condos available to families making 60 to100% of the area median income (AMI), with the majority of the condos available to families at or below 80% AMI. The $20 million project has generated 130construction jobs to date and expected to gene

rate an additional 220 jobs during the remainder of the project, including jobs for Chinatown residents. Construction began in May 2016, and ACDC expects completion by late 2017.

88 Hudson is Phase 2 of the Parcel 24 project and when completed, it will represent the culmination of more than a decade of planning, advocacy, and hard work to restore this site to a thriving community in Chinatown once again.

Located on historic Hudson Street in Chinatown, 88 Hudson is one of ACDC’s longtime efforts to revitalize and restore families to a part of Chinatown that was once home to hundreds of immigrants before the highway projects of the 1950s and 60s, which displaced many families living on Hudson Street, including one of ACDC’s founding board members and current board president, Paul W. Lee. “I’m proud to be working with ACDC to create affordable housing for new immigrant families on the site where I have fond memories of growing up in a vibrant, immigrant community over 50 years ago.”

The six-story development will feature 20 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units, and 9 three-bedroom units, including fully handicap accessible units.  The project team consists of ACDC as the developer, Maloney Properties as the broker and management company, Utile as the architect firm and NEI as the general contractor. The project was financed by the State Department of Housing and Community Development; the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, construction financing from Eastern Bank, and predevelopment financing from Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation.

Eligible applicants will be selected through a lottery. Interested parties can sign up for a mailing list that will send alerts about the lottery and when applications will be made available at www.88hudson.com. Questions about the application process should be directed to Maloney Properties.

 

About Asian Community Development Corporation

The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC), a 29-year old community-based organization, serves the Asian American community of Greater Boston, with an emphasis on preserving and revitalizing Boston’s Chinatown. ACDC develops physical community assets, including affordable housing for rental and ownership; promotes economic development; fosters youth leadership development; builds capacity within the community and advocates on behalf of the community. ACDC has developed over $100 million in mixed-use real estate that is home to over 1,200 residents in Boston and Quincy, and provides housing counseling and homebuyer workshops throughout the year. For more information or to sign up for a workshop, visit www.asiancdc.org.

 

http://sampan.org/2016/12/88-hudson-revitalizes-chinatown-with-more-affordable-homes-for-working-families/

SourceSampan

$20M Chinatown Project Will Add 51 Affordable Housing Units

A 51-unit condo complex in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood will create new housing options for families earning 60 to 100 percent of the area median income.

Boston-based Asian Community Development Corp. (ACDC) is leading the $20 million project at 88 Hudson St. The 6-story building will include 20 one-bedroom units, 22 two-bedroom units and nine three-bedroom units, including handicap-accessible units.

The project team consists of ACDC as the developer, Maloney Properties as broker and management company, Utile as the architect and NEI as general contractor. The project was financed by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, the city of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development, construction financing from Eastern Bank and predevelopment financing from Community Economic Development Assistance Corp.

A majority of the condominiums will be reserved for families earning 80 percent or less of the area median income. Completion is expected in late 2017.

88 Hudson is part of ACDC’s efforts to restore affordable housing in Chinatown, where apartments were demolished in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for highway projects.

Eligible applicants will be selected through a lottery. Interested parties can sign up for email alerts to request an application.

 

http://www.bankerandtradesman.com/2016/12/20m-chinatown-project-will-add-51-affordable-housing-units/

SourceBanker & Tradesman

City celebrates completion of Harborlight House renovation

Harborlight House is complete, and Tuesday afternoon was a time to celebrate.

Officials from Harborlight Community Partners and the city, along with residents, gathered at 1 Monument Square to celebrate the end of the 15-month renovation at the home that provides services and support to elderly residents living on limited incomes.

Along with larger rooms, the home also features a large porch, a treatment room where residents can receive health care, a new elevator, plus an overnight room for staff in case of inclement weather.

The completion of the project last month helps the Harborlight House to continue the mission it’s had for more than 50 years — to provide supportive living for seniors in need.

“I think in every respect, it’s as elegant as we hoped it would be,” said Neil Douglas of First Baptist Church, which founded Harborlight House.

The home now has 30 rooms, 28 of which are occupied, according to Beth Brenner, Harborlight House’s property manager. There used to be 35 rooms, but some of the rooms were “really small,” she said.

“A few of the rooms got larger,” she said, adding that most had twin beds.

Andrew DeFranza, Harborlight Community Partners executive director, said the organization is “very excited” to have the renovation complete, noting the home is its oldest property.

“It’s a wonderful and unique way to provide affordable housing and supportive services in a way that helps elders age in a place and avoid long-term care facilities,” he said.

The home is not considered assisted living, DeFranza said, noting his organization no longer has a certification for that. He added that assisted living has become somewhat of a “lifestyle model” whereas Harborlight is more concerned with providing affordable housing for elders that also meets their needs.

“It’s really an affordable housing setting with a service package built on top of it,” he said.

Harborlight House, a combination of two Victorian homes, has housed seniors with limited incomes since 1963, according to the Harborlight website.

First Baptist Church purchased the home and remodeled it, turning it into a home for seniors that offered not only living quarters, but meals and other services.

It was in the 1990s that Harborlight decided it was time to renovate the home the first time.

Funding for this round of renovations came from multiple sources, including the state as well as the city’s Community Preservation Committee.

http://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/city-celebrates-completion-of-harborlight-house-renovation/article_36332a94-02f0-5bbc-ade2-197ab319fdb5.html

SourceThe Salem News

Pleasant Street, Northampton awarded $2.5 million

The City of Northampton has received one of the state’s biggest infrastructure investments this year. $2.5 million of your state tax money will help make Northampton’s Pleasant Street, more pleasant for residents, visitors and business owners, like Tess Poe of Beehive Sewing Studio.

“It’s so important for me to know that there’s an investment in making that part of Northampton a more walkable, more urban dense environment that really draws customers and visitors from all over,” Poe told 22News.

Northampton was one of just a few dozen communities in Massachusetts to receive money through the state’s highly competitive MassWorks program this year. 22News asked Massachusetts Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash why the city was overlooked for this grant money in 2015, but received one of the largest amounts this year.

“After the last round, talked to the mayor about what he could do to improve the application to move it ahead of others in line and we were all very supportive of the project,” said Secretary Ash. He said State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg and Northampton State Representative Peter Kocot advocated for the city’s proposal to MassWorks.

Technically Pleasant Street is Route 5, a highway, but the goal of this infrastructure investment is to make it more like an extension of Main Street, just a few blocks down the road. Through that investment, there will be new sidewalks, making it more accommodating for people walking and biking. Mayor David Narkewicz told 22News he hopes the new rotary will divide Pleasant Street/Route 5 into two pieces: a busy highway before the rotary, and a city street with businesses and commerce after the rotary.

That’s important to support two major housing development projects on Pleasant Street that will create 125 new housing units and mixed-use space on the street. The first, HAPHousing’s Live155 is already under construction at 155 Pleasant Street. It’s expected to open by the end of 2017. Valley CDC’s plan to redevelop the abandoned lumber yard on Pleasant Street will likely be complete by 2018.

“It’s a great example of how the City can make investments in its infrastructure, and not only sidewalks, but also storm sewer infrastructure, to help leverage private investments,” said Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz.

During the announcement Monday morning at City Hall, Senate President Rosenberg said former U.S. President and Northampton resident Calvin Coolidge would be proud of the city on a day like this.

22News asked Mayor Narkewicz if this new affordable housing would house Syrian refugees moving to Northampton. He said if the refugees can afford the units, then perhaps, but not immediately, because the refugees will be arriving almost a year before the complexes are complete.

http://wwlp.com/2016/11/28/northampton-awarded-2-5-million-to-invest-in-new-infrastructure-projects-on-pleasant-street/

SourceWWLP-22News

Shoe Shop Place opens officially with ribbon cutting

It’s been a long time coming, but the affordable housing planned for Shoe Shop Place, originally the Leonard, Shaw & Dean shoe company, has come to fruition — a feat commemorated with a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.

According to Executive Director of NOAH (Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, Inc.) Philip Giffee, the project’s success is the result of collaboration between the Greater Attleboro/Taunton HOME Consortium, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousng, Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., Massachusetts Historical Commission, NeighborhoodWorks America, and the town of Middleboro.

“We’re really grateful the town has been such a strong supporter for affordable and workforce housing. 25 families from both the town and region are now occupying this former shoe factory into uniquely beautiful apartments,” told The Gazette. “I think we started construction about 15 months ago and it’s been finished since June. So it’s been done for a number of months now and people are just about finished moving in.”

The Shoe Shop Place, at 151 Peirce St., features four 1-bedroom apartments, three 3-bedroom apartments, and 18 2-bedroom apartments. Giffee says not only does a project like this create a decent living space for working class residents, but it saves a building of historical significance to Middleboro.

“There is a subsidy attached, but people pay decent rent that’s slightly below market. The people who live there could be people who work in the local stores, people who work for the town, etc.,” Giffee said. “What you get out of a project like this is the restoration of a historic property, a building with good management, the creation of a number of jobs, and we pay taxes. So, it’s no longer a blight on the neighborhood sitting there vacant and deteriorating — it’s now a good living space for residents that is generating revenue for the town.”

A piece of funding for the Shoe Shop Place project came from the town’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. Community Preservation Committee Chair Jane Lopes says the project was an obvious fit for CPA money.

“One of the charges of CPA is to create affordable housing so we were interested in that respect — it helps the town move toward the affordable housing quota — and then there’s the historical aspect of it. This is, I believe, the last shoe manufacturing building and shoe shop in town that’s still standing. Shoe manufacturing was once Middleboro’s claim to fame, so it’s a significant part of the town’s identity,” she said. “It’s really amazing what they did with it. It was a real eye-sore before. Hopefully it gets more people into the downtown area who will go to our museums, frequent the library, shop downtown….”

Lifelong Middleboro resident Beverly Brackett thought she was down on her luck while trying to move out of a 2-bedroom apartment in town which she could no longer afford until coming upon Shoe Shop Place by chance one day and learning that there were 1 bedroom apartments available.

“I had a 2-bedroom in The Grove (Residences at The Groves) but my family got smaller so I had to take a 1-bedroom, and they didn’t have any over there,” she said. “Middleboro is hard to find an apartment in. It took me a month and a half to find this one — I was out one day and saw the sign on this building that said they had 1-bedroom apartments — but before that, I was looking in the newspapers, books, I used my friend’s computer to look online, but I couldn’t find anything.”

When asked how things have been since moving into her new apartment, Brackett said, “I love it.”

“I love how it’s set up. There’s a laundry room around the corner and you use a card for the washer and dryer. There’s good security, there’s cameras outdoors so you can see who’s trying to come in and you buzz them in from here. It makes me feel safe,” she said. “I like how quiet it is too — the walls are nice and thick.”

At the ribbon cutting ceremony, Chair of Selectmen Diane Stewart — who noted her mother once worked at the shoe factory as a teen — expressed excitement at the accomplishment and what it means for the town.

“Anybody who knows Middleboro knows we do have a lack of affordable housing in Middleboro so I’m very glad that we were able to do this project, that we were able to provide some more adequate housing for the residents of the town, that we were able to create this beautiful building … and renovate it so it’s not an eye sore,” she said. “It’s beautiful. I’ve been inside, the apartments are very nice. And anybody who knows me knows I was particularly excited to see the handicap accessible units as well.”

“As many of you know, Shoe Shop Place is a true small town success story,” said President of Middleborough on the Move Judy Bigelow-Costa. “What was once an active vibrant shoe factory that epitomized the working class character of Middleboro and later became a vacant blighted property was reborn and now a vibrant property.”

Republican State Rep. Keiko Orrall spoke to the bipartisan work it took to accomplish the renovation and opening of Shoe Shop Place.

“In this difficult political climate I think it’s important to understand that this project began under a Democrat governor… With the beginning of that administration, which was a Democrat administration, into the Baker administration, which is a Republican administration, we have been able to accomplish and get something done here for our town that will benefit our community for years to come,” she said. “We’re all committed to getting to better communities and it doesn’t matter what political party is in charge here in Massachusetts.”

SourceSouth Coast Today