In the Berkshires, finding an apartment a working family can afford is tough, especially in a tourist town like Lenox. A new project on Pittsfield Road is aimed right at that problem.
Pennrose announced the groundbreaking of 238 Pittsfield Road, a 68-unit affordable rental community, on Sept. 28. According to Pennrose's announcement, the community will have 10 residential buildings with 23 one-bedroom, 38 two-bedroom and seven three-bedroom apartments.
Of the 68 homes, 57 will be affordable for households earning from 30% up to 80% of the area median income. The other 11 will rent at market rates.
Pennrose describes the site as in the heart of the Berkshires, a popular tourist destination known for the Berkshire Mountains and the Tanglewood music venue.
A community building at the entrance will offer event space and a fitness center, along with on-site offices for Pennrose management and resident services staff.
Who's building it
"Haynes Construction is serving as general contractor and The Architectural Team as architect for the development," according to Pennrose. Construction is underway and is expected to be finished in early 2028. Pennrose didn't release a total development cost.
The financing stack is a long one, which is typical for affordable housing, and it shows how many partners it takes to get a project like this built in a small town. According to Pennrose:
- Tax credits: Federal 4% tax credits and state tax credits from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, with the National Equity Fund as syndicator and Rockland Trust and US Bank as investors.
- Construction loan: Rockland Trust.
- Permanent loan: The Massachusetts Housing Partnership, which also provided Workforce Housing Funds.
- Bonds: MassDevelopment is the bond issuer.
- State help: The housing office also provided additional soft funding and an operating subsidy.
- Local money: The Town of Lenox put in Affordable Housing Trust and Community Preservation Act funds, plus money through the state's HousingWorks Infrastructure Program.
Why Lenox needs it
Pennrose says only 7% of Lenox's housing stock is deed-restricted affordable, short of the state's 10% goal. About 90% of the town's existing affordable housing is limited to seniors, and market-rate rentals are scarce.
"238 Pittsfield Road builds on the progress that the Town of Lenox has made in addressing the region's pressing needs for affordable, family-sized rental housing," said Karmen Cheung, regional vice president at Pennrose. "This partnership with the Town of Lenox continues to deliver communities that give families of all sizes a place to call home."
The project sits about a mile down the road from Forge, a Pennrose mixed-income community that celebrated its grand opening in August. Together, the two sister developments will add 133 affordable units to the town, according to Pennrose.
"Together with Forge, these two communities reflect our long-term commitment to meeting the diverse housing needs of Berkshire families," Cheung said.
The company called the project a continuation of its close collaboration with the town. Pennrose says the project is guided by the goals of Lenox's 2017 Housing Production Plan, 2021 Master Plan and 2002 Gateway Redevelopment Plan.
The groundbreaking was also covered by iBerkshires, the regional news site, which ran the same details about the unit mix, financing and construction team.
Pennrose has a regional office in Boston and has been active across New England. Besides Forge, it recently celebrated the grand opening of Tandem in Providence, Rhode Island, the second and final phase of a 127-unit mixed-use, mixed-income community on a former 195 District parcel.
Why it matters for Contractors
Ten residential buildings plus a community building is a good-sized job for the Berkshires, and it's already underway. With Haynes Construction as general contractor, the subcontract packages are where local trades will find work, from site work and foundations to framing, roofing, siding, plumbing, electrical, HVAC and finishes. Completion isn't expected until early 2028, so there's a long runway. Because the project relies on federal and state tax credits and state bonds, subs should expect the paperwork that comes with publicly financed housing. And with Pennrose finishing Forge in August and starting this one right after, the company has shown it keeps building in Lenox. Interested subs should reach out to Haynes Construction, and local suppliers should do the same.