Town of Acton Receives State Grant to Support Affordable Housing Projects

ACTON – Town Manager John Mangiaratti is pleased to announce that the Town of Acton was awarded a $233,819 grant from the state Housing Choice Community Program to support infrastructure improvements to create affordable housing stock.

State funding will support two projects that will create 71 units that will address the need for affordable rental housing for seniors and adults with disabilities.

The projects are:

• A 40-unit development proposed by the Acton Housing Authority at 348-364 Main St. The town will receive $165,500 for feasibility and design services to examine and lay out a sewer line extension from Main Street (Rte. 27) over the Rte. 2 bridge to the 348-364 Main St. site.
• The 31-unit The Residences at Kelley’s Corner at 446 Mass Ave., proposed by Common Ground Development Corp. of Lowell. The town will receive $68,319 to fund construction of a sewer and water connection to the site.

The state program awards funds based on the municipality’s housing production record and sustainable growth policies.

“The Acton Housing Authority is grateful to the Town of Acton for seeking additional resources to assist in the creation of affordable rental housing for seniors,” said Kelley Cronin, Director of Acton Housing Authority. “The Housing Choice grant will help support the costs associated with building the new units for elder and disabled, low-income households.”

The Massachusetts Avenue site is located within the Kelley’s Corner Business District, while the Main Street site is 1,200 feet away. The two projects will offer walkable access to a wide range of goods and services including a supermarket, banks, retails stores, restaurants, and other services.

When completed, the Residences at Kelley’s Corner will offer affordable rental housing to seniors earning less than 60% of the area medium income (AMI), including 10 units reserved for seniors earning less than 30% of AMI. Common Ground, as sponsor, will provide support services to new senior residents of the project through its parent, Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI).

The Baker-Polito Administration in March announced an $8 milliongrant to the Town of Acton for The Residences at Kelley’s Corner, through tax credits and subsidy funds. 

“The lack of affordable housing was an important issue before the pandemic, but this health crisis has only heightened the need for affordable housing in all communities,”  said Bill Lipchitz, Common Ground’s Director of Real Estate Operations. 

The new, three-story building will be diagonally across from Old High School Commons, a 15-unit affordable rental development for families at 433 Massachusetts Ave., which Common Ground completed in 2012.

“This is exciting news for seniors and adults with disabilities in Acton. These two housing projects address urgent needs in our districts. This market is especially difficult on seniors: at last count, the Acton Housing Authority had 99 local senior households on its waiting list,” the Town’s legislative delegation, state Sen. Jamie Eldridge, state Rep. Tami Gouveia and state Rep. Danillo Sena, said in a statement. “Thank you to the Baker-Polito Administration for this affordable housing grant for Acton, and we commend the Acton Select Board, the Acton Community Housing Corporation (ACHC), the Housing for All group, and Acton Town Hall professional staff for their strong support to build truly affordable housing in Acton.”

The town has provided significant support for these projects.

The Acton Housing Authority project received $500,000 from the Community Preservation Committee to help with pre-development costs for the Main Street project. It also received $75,000 from the Acton Community Housing Corporation (ACHC) toward the overall project.

Common Ground received $500,000 from a town housing gift fund and for pre-development work. Common Ground also received $50,000 from ACHC‘s Community Preservation Act funds.