BRAINTREE, NEEDHAM, MA: Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, Inc. (AHSC; www.ahscinc.org), a nonprofit organization that owns and develops affordable rental communities, now celebrating its 25th anniversary as a trusted leader in creating and preserving high-quality affordable housing primarily across Massachusetts, and The Peabody Companies, a group of award-winning property management and real estate firms now celebrating its 50th anniversary, proudly announce that they have been awarded funding from the state to redevelop the Linden Street Community in Needham.
Currently comprising 76 studio apartments (each approximately 425 square feet) for lower income seniors (62+) built in the 1960s and 1970s, the Linden Street Community will be completely renovated in two phases to provide larger living spaces, complete accessibility, and updated amenities. Linden Terrace, as the proposed updated community is known, is being developed by a partnership comprised of the Needham Housing Authority, Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative, and Peabody Properties.
The goals of the project include preserving existing and expanding deeply affordable senior housing while also improving residents’ quality of life by providing appropriately sized units, elevators, central air and heating, and better indoor environmental quality, while also improving the community’s energy efficiency and climate change resiliency. Residents will also enjoy more outdoor spaces and enhanced common spaces and services. All apartments will remain affordable and accessible for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
“We’re excited to begin work on the transformation of Linden Terrace, and are so grateful to the Healey/Driscoll Administration for their commitment to affordable housing,” said Michael J. Mattos, president and executive director of Affordable Housing and Services Collaborative. “We’re also so appreciative of the vision of the Needham Housing Authority, for making the most of this opportunity to preserve affordable housing in their community and offer even more affordable options, and look forward to partnering with Peabody Properties to truly provide the best services for the residents that will call this community home.”
“We are grateful for the initiative and forward-thinking of the Needham Housing Authority, to work to improve and sustain affordable housing options for their residents,” added Betsy Collins, vice president of development for The Peabody Companies. “We’re proud to be involved in such an undertaking.”
The award was part of a broader announcement by the Healey/Driscoll Administration, which awarded a total of $278 million to 20 communities throughout the Commonwealth, and marked the largest single round awarded in the state in more than a decade, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
To announce the funding, both Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll traveled across the state to highlight a few of the projects receiving awards. After speaking with Linden Street residents, Needham Housing Authority representatives, and other stakeholders, Lt. Governor Driscoll toured the community.