Developer will rehab 148 affordable Springfield apartments
SPRINGFIELD — WinnCompanies plans to rehab 148 affordable apartments in the Northern Heights complex that it has owned and managed for 20 years.
The cost of the work is $17 million, said WinnCompanies spokesman Ed Cafasso.
Work on Northern Heights will be phased and happen while units are occupied. It’s scheduled to be completed before the end of this year.
Northern Heights apartments include 45 buildings on 2.9 acres, spanning several city blocks around Main and Central streets in Springfield.
A financing deal with Rockland Trust closed Dec. 19, according to documents on file at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds. Rockland Trust is providing tax-exempt and taxable bond financing for the project.
“Rockland Trust’s support will be critical to our ability to deliver a significantly improved living experience to the hundreds of people who call Northern Heights home,” said WinnDevelopment Executive Vice President Adam Stein. “We’re grateful to partner with the bank on a project that will have a lasting, positive impact on the community.”
The Northern Heights project is supported by additional funding from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, the city of Springfield, and the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, as well as federal and state Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and federal and state Historic Tax Credits.
WinnCompanies said it is also partnering with Wayfinders Inc. and the Springfield YMCA to provide residents with access to health, financial, transportation, and social support services.
Apartments will get new kitchens and baths, new baseboard heating, new doors and hardware at all exterior entrances, as well as new flooring and paint in corridors and stairwells, roof and facade repairs, elevator modernization, and replacement of recalled Federal Pacific electric panels. WinnCompanies plans new entry stoops at the 32 historic row houses. The project also will complete the renovation of the management office and resident lounge, along with a new playground on-site for the residents, according to a written statement.
Keith Construction is the general contractor for the project, and The Architectural Team is the architect.
WinnCompanies owns 48 historic properties, totaling 5,488 apartments, including more than 4,400 affordable units. Since 1981, WinnDevelopment has developed 50 historic properties, totaling 5,530 apartments.
Stories by Jim Kinney
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