Worcester to seek affordable housing proposals on two foreclosed properties
Photo | Worcester City Council
Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn speaks at a City Council meeting.
The City of Worcester is moving ahead with redeveloping two foreclosed properties into affordable housing.
On Tuesday evening, Worcester City Council approved requests from the Executive Office of Economic Development to open the two parcels up to requests for bids, which allows developers to input redevelopment project proposals.
“We want to see these properties going back into productive use for the community,” said Chief Development Officer Peter Dunn at the meeting.
Both of the properties were acquired by the City through tax title foreclosure, Dunn said. They are located around the Main South neighborhood at 13 Hawley St. and 104 Armory St.
Because they are located within residential zoning districts, the properties will most likely be redeveloped into affordable housing, with the potential for affordable homeownership opportunities.
“The size of, particularly the Hawley Street lot, certainly lends itself towards goals that we have for homeownership in the city,” said Dunn.
The Hawley Street property is 0.14 acres located near the corner of Piedmont and Pleasant streets. It is assessed by the City of Worcester at $49,900 and has been owned by the City since 1998, according to the assessors database.
The second parcel, 104 Armory St., is one acre, which Dunn said might be more conducive to a multi-family rental property. It is assessed at $79,600.
The assessed values are also the minimum bids the City will accept from developers.
City Councilors Etel Haxhiaj and Sarai Rivera, both of whom spoke in favor of affordable housing redevelopments on the lots, stressed the need for local developers to be involved with the project. Dunn said local community development corporations already have their eye on the project.
“In terms of the response to the RFB and the development, we do look for some experience doing that to make sure that we see the outcome that we want, to see the successful completion of a new unit there,” he said. “I know the local CDC, Worcester Common Ground, is well aware of this property, and I think they’re very interested in it.”
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