LAWRENCE – On Thursday, July 15, 2021, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy and Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox joined local legislators and officials in Lawrence, MA to announce affordable housing awards for 28 projects in 21 communities across the Commonwealth. These awards will advance the development of 1,526 new rental units, including transit-oriented and Passive House developments.
“As Massachusetts continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is important that we continue to prioritize new affordable housing development to help our most vulnerable families,” said Governor Baker. “Stable housing is the foundation of healthy, prosperous communities, which is why our administration has proposed an immediate infusion of nearly $1 billion in federal recovery funds to rapidly increase capacity for production in every part of the state.”
Knox Residences I the first phase of a two-phase historic re-use and new construction project in Springfield has been selected as one of the 28 projects to receive the 2021 Affordable Rental Housing Award. First Resource Development, the developer/sponsor behind the ongoing rehab of Indian Motorcycle, Mason Square Fire Station and the Outing Park apartment complex in the South End, has planned a $57 million, 114 apartment rehab of the long-derelict Knox Building just across Wilbraham Road from Indian Motorcycle. He will use federal and state historic tax credits as well as DHCD resources to adapt manufacturing buildings that have been vacant for over 70 years into new residential units as part of the Knox projects. At this time, DHCD will support Knox Residences I with federal and state low-income housing tax credits and subsidy funds. The city of Springfield will also support this first phase of Knox Residences with funds of its own. When Knox Residences I is completed, it will offer 55 total units. All 55 units will be affordable to households earning less than 60% of AMI, with eight units further restricted for households earning less than 30% of AMI and, in some cases, transitioning from homelessness. In total, the project will benefit from over $6.5 million in state and federal resources to support the project.
The Knox Building was once a vital part of the Springfield’s automobile industry. It’s where the Knox company-built cars, trucks, fire trucks and farm tractors from 1900 to 1924. The building itself was built in stages from 1900 to 1910 and once featured its own internal railroad line and has been vacant for decades. It produced touring cars, buses, delivery vehicles and fire trucks, allowing the city to have the first fully motorized fire truck fleet in the nation and was a leading manufacturer of gasoline engine vehicles during the first two decades of the 20th century.
“The history that this building holds through brick and mortar, is a reminder of the city’s industrial and transportation heritage which has laid a foundation that continues to define and shape the resiliency of this community, the 11th Hampden District. It is part of who we are today. To have it now ready to move into the next phase of transformation into affordable housing and jobs for the people of Springfield is win for all of us”, says Representative Bud Williams
“Here in Massachusetts, we have seen the negative impacts of our housing crisis affect nearly every region. Through our new Housing Choice reforms, new programs, and increased capital investments, the Baker-Polito Administration is helping move great projects forward, more quickly,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Kennealy. “Solving our housing crisis helps all of our households, enabling our working families to put down roots in communities, stabilize vulnerable families, and provide opportunities for cities and town to grow. We are excited to deploy federal recovery funding to supercharge the pipeline of affordable housing in Massachusetts.”
“Today’s awards will bring new, affordable housing that meets the diverse needs of our Commonwealth, including new senior housing in Randolph, new permanent supportive housing for unaccompanied adults in Quincy, preservation of currently affordable housing in Holyoke, and new family housing in West Roxbury,” said Housing and Community Development Undersecretary Maddox. “These projects will provide thousands of households with access to safe, quality, affordable housing in every region. Affordable housing development and preservation is an integral part of our strategy to address our housing crisis, and we are fortunate to have a rich ecosystem of stakeholders and developers committed to the future of Massachusetts and our families.”
The Baker-Polito Administration has allocated $139 Million in Funding and Tax Credits to Produce and Preserve 1,346 Units of Affordable Rental Housing for low- and extremely low-income households. “I would say, job well done, but we are not finished yet. There is still more work to be done and I will continue to work hard on the hill to make sure that the 11th Hampden is on the radar for the legislature when it comes to allocation of funds. It’s not enough to just build housing, you have to make it affordable where folks that grew up here are able to afford to stay here.” says Representative Bud Williams, 11th Hampden District
