More than 40 units of affordable housing slated to open in Holyoke next year
HOLYOKE — The sun broke through the clouds Wednesday morning as local and statewide officials broke ground on a nearly $30 million affordable housing project in Holyoke.
The spread of apartments, known as Essex Village, will offer 41 units across four building sites: two on Chestnut Street, one on Appleton Street and another on Elm Street.
It is close to the Library Commons development , a Way Finders project, which offers housing, services like financial literacy and job hunting, and proximity to public transportation.
Way Finders, a housing provider located in Springfield, invested $28 million into the new Essex Village project, which includes the redevelopment of the Essex building , standing on Holyoke's Elm Street since 1888, and three new buildings that were once vacant lots, according to Sam Scoppettone, project manager at Way Finders.
"We really believe in supporting projects that improve people's lives and strengthen our neighborhoods and build a stronger future," said Melissa Prohaska, Way Finders board member and secretary at M&T Bank, one of the investors in the project.
Prohaska said the bank committed nearly $14 million in construction financing and more than $10 million in tax equity credit. Funding also came from the state and a blend of other organizations.
"Because we believe in this project, we believe that we will be able to deliver lasting value for Holyoke and its residents," she said.
Renovations are well underway on the historic Essex building in the heart of Holyoke. Architect Kyle Young and the construction team are recreating the exterior athletic brick by brick while modernizing the interior from the ground up. Oct. 22, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
Construction at the Essex building, at 213 Chestnut St., began in April. Scoppettone, project manager, told a reporter while standing in the building's foyer wearing a hard hat, the project — including all four buildings — would be complete by next September.
Housing opportunities would be through a lottery system, he said. Inside the Chestnut Street building, the iconic Holyoke red brick could be seen on the outside. On the inside, the skeleton of the building had been constructed.
These housing units are in a happening neighborhood. Nearby is the Holyoke Public Library, a YMCA and H.B. Lawrence Elementary School. A woman could be seen walking a child on the sidewalk. An older man drove down the street.
Renovations are well underway on the historic Essex building in the heart of Holyoke, originally constructed in 1888. Architect Kyle Young and the construction team are recreating the exterior athletic brick by brick while modernizing the interior from the ground up. Oct. 22, 2025. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
The neighborhood didn't always look this way.
"There were illegal activities, things that weren't pleasant to live around. And just on the other side of this building, there were a stretch of vacant lots," said Keith Fairey, Way Finders president and CEO.
The state housing secretary, Ed Augustus, said housing is at the center of the redevelopment focus in Holyoke.
"Creating those opportunities of housing that also creates activity in your downtown, creates support for your local businesses, your restaurants, the vitality that every city is chasing for their downtown core," he said.
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