The need for more affordable and subsidized housing cannot be understated. That’s why Worcester Housing Authority is in the midst of a total revamp and expansion of several of its properties.
WHA manages 3,000 apartments and serves 13,000 individuals, but some 65,000 people are on its waiting list. On top of this, its buildings are aging. Three of its major apartment complexes – Curtis Apartments, Lakeside Apartments, and Great Brook Valley Gardens – are all around 75 years old.
The WHA is now in a phased redevelopment of all three properties. The first up is Curtis, now rebranded as The Phoenix at Curtis Apartments.
Built in 1952, the property has included 372 units. Once all phases of the renovation are complete, that number is expected to rise to 527, including about 50 wheelchair-accessible units. As of this summer, the first phase of the redevelopment, which includes a total of 129 units, opened to renters across two buildings.
They are nearly full, said WHA CEO Alex Corrales.
Corrales detailed some of the issues in the buildings at the older WHA properties: walk-ups with no elevators, no sprinklers, small spaces, and high-energy consumption. Add to this the element of limited inventory and a decades-old stigma surrounding some of the area’s most well-known public housing facilities, Corrales knew it was time for a change. Buying new properties would be complicated and expensive. Instead, he and his team weighed their options.
“I said, ‘Let’s invest in our own properties,’” Corrales said.
The overarching project has 14 funding sources, including state investments, low-income tax credits, private financing, as well as from the City of Worcester’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Boston-based Trinity Financial worked in conjunction with WHA as the project’s lead developer. Trinity and Principal Patrick Lee emphasize projects that revitalize neighborhoods, including those that face complexities related to politics, environmental concerns, infrastructure, and market profile.
Aside from overseeing the replacement and expansion of liveable units, Trinity will be tasked with the construction of WHA’s economic opportunity center, which includes WHA offices as well as a number of community spaces. It is home to the authority’s self-sufficiency programs. Also on-site is the Great Brook Valley branch of the Worcester Public Library, which will grow from about 900 square feet to 4,000 square feet.
The library and the economic opportunity center are designed to help take aim at the bottleneck for public housing from the other side of the process: moving people out of public housing and into their own homes.
This is key, said Corrales, who believes in deeply in education.
The Curtis project is expected to be fully complete by January 2028. In the meantime, WHA is redeveloping Lakeside and is in the planning phase for redevelopment at Great Brook Valley.
Combined, all of these projects stand to help the agency further its goals of providing safe, decent housing for area residents, with an eye on self-sufficiency.
Monica Benevides is a correspondent for Worcester Business Journal.
