The Healey-Driscoll administration announced Thursday the awarding of $246 million to dozens of projects within the commonwealth for building and preserving roughly 1,600 affordable and mixed-income housing units.
Twenty-seven projects throughout 20 communities in the state will be supported by state and federal resources and direct subsidies.
Meshacket Commons, the upcoming housing development slated for Edgartown, was among the projects awarded funds.
Roughly $4.5 million will be provided in support of the project from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and around $1.5 million will come from state and federal resources, DHCD Deputy Director of Communications Samantha Kaufman told The Times.
“We are very grateful for the award, and excited to get going and start construction in the fall,” Island Housing Trust CEO Philippe Jordi said on behalf of project representatives.
The Meshacket project is a collaborative effort between nonprofit Island Housing Trust and Affirmative Investments, and will be located at 36 Meshacket Road. It will consist of 40 affordable, deed-restricted housing units (36 rentals, four for ownership) alongside a community house.
The project has garnered support from Edgartown’s affordable housing committee and select board, along with approval from the town’s zoning board of appeals and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
“Today’s awards set in motion 27 innovative, mixed-use projects that will build and preserve nearly 1,600 affordable units across every region of our state,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a press release issued Thursday. “These are the types of projects that our Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities will be driving in close collaboration with local, federal, and private-sector partners to address our housing crisis.”
Nearly all of the 1,597 units will be reserved for low-income households, the release states. Three hundred will be reserved for “extremely low-income households and families or individuals” facing housing instability. Additionally, a handful of the projects receiving support aim to rehabilitate existing affordable housing.
She noted that those numbers are subject to change, as project developers finalize closing funding.
“We are proud to support such a fantastic round of projects, which will welcome new families and households to neighborhoods across the commonwealth,” said Massachusetts DHCD Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox in the statement. “Affordable housing supports our most vulnerable residents, but it also enriches and stabilizes communities, ensures our communities are diverse, inclusive, and provides strong foundations for all our families to thrive.”
That’s fantastic! Congratulations
More great news on the affordable housing front. And done without a new tax on Vineyard homeowners that will juice the development of AH beyond environmentally sustainable levels. The housing bank bill is unnecessary. We already have enough AH in development. Say no to the housing bank bill. Keep Our Island Green.
We are so lucky to have Philippe Jordi at the helm of what I consider is one of, if not the most important of island organizations. Philippe brings great leadership and knowledge and with the growth of the organization in relation to the acceleration of the need for homes, the initiatives and creative solutions, outreach for funding and tangible successes just keeps getting better and better. Thank you Philippe and IHT.
Excellent! I remember being on the Affordable Housing Committee in Edgartown in 2015 and we were talking about Meshacket Commons back then! Only took about a decade, huh? I recall the Edgartown selectboard had their issues (same composition of members today, of course).
It’s a perfect example of the island dragging their feet and the crisis explodes, it could have long been approved and built and families could already be living there. This island needs to learn the lesson of not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. Happy to get this news, of course.Hard to believe it’s almost a decade later. Thank you Gov. Healey.
Wonder what the total cost of the project is?
It doesn’t make any difference, its not local tax money.
Wow it does make a difference as to how much this helps. Just curious as I do not know the total cost of the project. And it is all money that was taken away from a tax payer so your comment is part of the problem with governments always needing more tax money.
Bob it’s federal and state taxes.
It would just be wasted somewhere else.
The Island desperately needs all the pork it can get.
It’s rich people’s tax money, not Islanders.
At what point does affordable housing become housing for the poor?
That is a fair question Albert. The gap between 80% of median income and the income that many families on the island is growing. Year around housing for the critical workforce of our island is what we need and many of those people make above 150% of median income. Sadly that is still not enough to qualify for a home at market value. The rentals will definitely help but in order to stay in that affordable rental, you have to maintain that low income or risk losing your housing. What is the incentive to get a raise or a 2nd job if your housing is at stake? I think the real issue is Housing Stability and without it, we are at risk of losing a valuable island commodity.
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