A lot of the state's public housing was built for another era, and in Needham and Watertown it's about to be torn down and built back bigger. On Oct. 16, Gov. Maura Healey announced $33.5 million to replace 100 aging public housing apartments in the two towns and add 114 more, for a total of 214 affordable rental homes.
According to the governor's announcement, the money comes from the state's Public Housing Innovation Demonstration Program, run by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. The program funds the modernization and redevelopment of state-aided public housing while creating additional affordable homes.
"We need to build more housing in Massachusetts, and that means both creating new homes and protecting the affordable housing we already have," Healey said.
Needham: Linden Street
The Needham Housing Authority is getting $12,542,000 to redevelop its Linden Street community.
Right now, Linden Street is 40 studio apartments spread across 10 one-story buildings. The state describes them as severely distressed and not accessible. The plan replaces them with 76 one-bedroom apartments in a new three-story building, adding 36 affordable homes.
That new building is designed to achieve Passive House and Enterprise Green Communities certifications. Both are high-performance building standards.
There's an interesting twist on the operating side. The Taunton Housing Authority will use federal Restore-Rebuild and Faircloth authority on Needham's behalf to provide operating support for 41 of the apartments. The project has received the zoning relief and a special permit it needs from the Needham Planning Board.
Watertown: Willow Park
The bigger award, $21 million, goes to the Watertown Housing Authority for Willow Park.
Working with the nonprofit developer POAH, the housing authority will turn the existing 60-apartment Willow Park public housing development into a modern community of 138 affordable rental homes. All 60 public housing apartments will be replaced, and 78 new affordable homes will be added for households earning up to 80% of the area median income.
More than 65% of the apartments will have two or three bedrooms, adding family-sized housing in what the state calls a high-opportunity community.
Watertown is putting in money of its own. The town has committed $400,000 from the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust and $6 million in Community Preservation Act funding.
"Preserving public housing is essential to keeping Massachusetts affordable," said Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Juana Matias. "These projects will replace every public housing apartment being redeveloped while adding family-sized and deeply affordable homes."
According to the state, both projects have secured zoning approvals and have advanced architectural plans. That puts them in position to begin construction once financing and other required approvals are complete. The state didn't give a start date for either project.
The state says the Public Housing Innovation Demonstration Program is meant to protect these homes for generations. The program picks projects based on how well they preserve existing public housing, create new homes and move toward construction. The state says it supports partnerships that bring in federal and local money and reduce long-term operating costs.
"HLC is proud to help these communities move from plans to construction," Matias said.
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said the awards show what can happen when the state, towns and housing partners work together. "These investments are a great example of what we can accomplish when the state, municipalities and housing partners work together to replace aging buildings, build more affordable homes and strengthen our neighborhoods," she said.
The awards build on the $5.16 billion Affordable Homes Act, which Healey signed and the state calls the largest housing bond bill in its history.
Why it matters for Contractors
These are two full redevelopments, and both include demolition before anything new goes up: 10 one-story buildings in Needham and a 60-apartment development in Watertown. After that comes a new three-story building with 76 apartments in Needham and 138 homes in Watertown. The Needham building is aiming for Passive House certification, so contractors with experience in airtight envelopes, high-performance windows and balanced ventilation will have an edge. Neither the state nor the housing authorities have named a general contractor for either project, and construction depends on financing closing first. Contractors and subs interested in bidding should keep an eye on the Needham Housing Authority, the Watertown Housing Authority and POAH.