MassHousing Blog

225 Centre Street Ribbon Cutting

The ribbon was cut today for 225 Centre Street in Jamaica Plain as part of the Jackson Square Redevelopment.

225 Centre Street involves 103 apartments in a new construction, seven-story building with retail and parking space.

Located at the intersection of Centre Street and Columbus Avenue, the $53.2 million project was developed by a joint venture between two Boston companies – Mitchell Properties and The Community Builders, Inc.

This mixed-income, mixed-use, transit-oriented housing community will be the foundation for redeveloping 11 acres of public and private land into more than a dozen buildings containing housing, retail and office space, as well as green and recreational areas for Jamaica Plain residents.

MassHousing closed a $15.9 million construction and permanent loan, a $9.9 million construction bridge loan, a $4.6 million Priority Development Fund loan and $1 million from the AHTF for total financing of $31.4 million.

MassHousing is also the administrator of a $2.3 million Transit-Oriented Development grant from the state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The grant covered the cost of the parking and pedestrian improvements for the first-floor commercial and retail component.

The event also marked the groundbreaking for Jackson Commons, the second phase of the Jackson Square Redevelopment. Jackson Commons will provide 37-units of mixed-income housing from the adaptive reuse of the existing three-story Webb Building as well as a newly constructed four-story addition.

Jackson Commons is being developed by Urban Edge, which along with the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation and Hyde Park Task Force, have been working since 1995 to redevelop the Jackson Square area.

MassHousing Recognizes Property Managers for Commitment to M/WBEs

MassHousing's Tom Gleason, right, with representatives from Maloney Properties

MassHousing recently recognized 93 property management companies for their commitment to minority and women owned businesses.

MassHousing's MBE/WBE Vendor Program aims to ensure that minority and women business enterprises (MBEs/WBEs) have equal access to the opportunities created by rental communities in the Agency's portfolio. We work with private property management companies at each of our rental communities to increase utilization of MBEs and WBEs in acquiring various goods and services.

In fiscal year 2013, MassHousing rental communities generated $198.7 million in expenditures. Of this, $37.5 million (18.9%) was spent with MBEs and $24.8 million (12.5%) with WBEs.

Among the 2013 recipients were five Multi-Million Dollar Achievers—Maloney Properties, Peabody Properties, Trinity Management, United Housing Management and WinnResidential—and four Million Dollar Achievers—Beacon Management, The Community Builders, Cornerstone Corp. and Schochet Property Management.

Congratulations and thanks to all of the awardees for their ongoing commitment to and their outstanding efforts in working with minority and women owned businesses.

MassHousing's Director of Public Safety Receives FBI Leadership Award

Vincent Lisi, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Field Office (left) with MassHousing Director of Pulic Safety Thaddeus Miles

Thaddeus Miles, MassHousing's Director of Public Safety, has been awarded the FBI Director's Community Leadership Award for his public safety efforts at housing communities and their surrounding neighborhoods across Massachusetts.

Miles, of Lowell, was honored for his work with law enforcement and diverse communities in designing and implementing crime prevention strategies as well as his efforts to help traumatized family members and residents affected by violent crime. Miles also works with youth in programs like Think Big, Dream Big, which encourages them to pursue their goals and talents and to a make a difference in their community.

Miles was presented the award Oct. 9 at MassHousing by Vincent Lisi, the Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Boston Field Office.

"I can't imagine anyone being more deserving of this award based on what I have seen and the compassion he has," said Lisi. "He has a determined, compassionate work ethic that is absolutely impressive."

Throughout the year, dedicated and selfless individuals and organizations make extraordinary contributions to their communities across the United States. And every year, the FBI honors the very best among them with its Director's Community Leadership Award. Each FBI Field Office selects one individual or organization for the award. At a later date, all winners are brought to FBI Headquarters in Washington to be presented with their award by FBI Director James Comey.

"On most days, Thaddeus is out on the streets of Boston and in our housing developments around the state trying to keep residents safe, to provide them a better life and to give the kids who live there a better path to the future. He does the work of the angels," said MassHousing Executive Director Thomas R. Gleason. "There is no higher calling than the one he has responded to. I can't think of a better person to do it than Thaddeus Miles."

In 2009, Miles was named Boston's Crime Fighter of the Year by Mayor Menino for his work with the Boston Police Department in making city housing developments administered by MassHousing safer and for creating opportunities for advancement for youth and residents.

Over the past 19 years Miles has worked closely with all levels of the Boston Police Department to improve safety and the quality of life in 280 Boston housing communities overseen by MassHousing containing approximately 30,000 housing units. He also works in housing communities across the state where MassHousing oversees more than 900 housing communities with more than 100,000 units.

"All of these things have been done with partnerships. I have done nothing here alone," said Miles. "I try to make a difference in people's lives. I work here at MassHousing with so many creative people that understand this is not about having a job; it's about changing a life each and every day. That's what we do here, we change lives. Let's continue to change lives and create safe families, homes and neighborhoods for residents of the Commonwealth. Let's continue to allow those seeds of hope, dreams and love to grow in us." 

Ground is Broken on Quincy Street Corridor

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan joined Mayor Thomas Menino in a groundbreaking event this morning in Dorchester for the Quincy Street Redevelopment.

From left, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan presided over the event

MassHousing closed $30.4 million in loans for the acquisition, and renovation/new construction of the 129-unit Quincy Heights development, which is the centerpiece of the Choice Neighborhood redevelopment project. The project is the first in the nation to close on funding from HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods grant program. The developer and the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development received $20.5 million in the first round of only five awards made nationally.

The Choice Neighborhoods program supports locally driven strategies to address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Local leaders, residents, and stakeholders come together to create and implement a plan that transforms distressed HUD housing and addresses the challenges in the surrounding neighborhood. The program is designed to catalyze critical improvements in neighborhood assets, including vacant property, housing, services and schools.

Quincy Heights, formerly known as Woodledge/Morant Bay, was acquired by Quincy Heights Limited Partnership, a partnership between the Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation and the Quincy Geneva Housing Corporation.

Construction is underway at Quincy Heights in Dorchester

The ambitious $56 million project will rehabilitate 80 existing apartments and construct 49 new apartments to achieve a one-for-one replacement of the original 129 units. The federal Section 8 Housing Assistance Payment contract was renewed for 20 years, ensuring the affordability of all 129 units for the long term.

The Quincy Street Corridor redevelopment also involves the $14.5 million redevelopment of Pearl Food Production Small Business Center, the $20 million new construction of Quincy Commons, which will provide 44 apartments for seniors, the $4 million redevelopment of 259 Quincy, a former auto repair shop into a digital design, education and fabrication training and industrial arts maker space, and substantial public infrastructure improvements.

A Trio of Honors for MassHousing

MassHousing took home three awards at the recently completed National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) Annual Conference in New Orleans.

MassHousing was honored in the Special Achievement category for the Agency's work on the issue of Hoarding, which includes establishing a Statewide Steering Committee on Hoarding; maintaining an online directory of hoarding resources and information; and supporting numerous local initiatives.

In the Management Innovation – Financial category, MassHousing was recognized for its use of innovative financing techniques and relationships that have led to some of the largest rental housing preservation transactions in the Agency's history.

Finally, MassHousing won the award for Homeownership – Empowering New Buyers for the programs and partnerships that enabled the creation of a MassHousing Mortgage with No-MI, and which led to a record homeownership lending performance in the 2013 fiscal year.

NCSHA is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan association that advocates on behalf of state housing finance agencies for affordable housing resources. The annual awards recognize state housing finance agencies like MassHousing for their outstanding public purpose programs, projects and practices.

MassHousing Campaign to Target Underserved Homebuyers, Communities

MassHousing has partnered with two public relations and marketing firms—Kelley Chunn & Associates and Denterlein—and will soon launch a communications campaign that aims to increase awareness of the Agency's affordable mortgage products among minority homebuyers, particularly in traditionally underserved communities.

The multi-faceted campaign will specifically target Boston and the 26 Gateway Cities. The goal is to educate consumers and community stakeholders about responsible homeownership, and about how MassHousing can help individuals and families buy a home.

MassHousing has a longstanding commitment to increasing affordable homeownership opportunities for all Massachusetts residents, particularly those underserved by traditional institutions or victimized by predatory lenders. Over the past several years, we've reached out to minority homebuyers through websites, social media and print, online, TV and radio ads in English, Spanish and Portuguese. We've sponsored community events and we’ve formed partnerships with community organizations, leaders and stakeholders.

We look forward to announcing more details about the plan soon.

Gateway Cities Success

MassHousing is working diligently to increase affordable homeownership opportunities in the Commonwealth’s 26 'Gateway Cities,' and the extra effort is paying off.

In FY2013, which ended June 30, MassHousing closed 1,643 mortgage loans for $323 million in Gateway Cities, accounting for 30% of all homeownership loans in a record lending year. This marked a 144% increase in lending in the Gateway Cities over FY2012. Over the past two years, MassHousing's market share of purchase mortgages in Gateway Cities has grown 131%, from 4.41% to 10.19%.

At the close of FY'13, MassHousing was servicing 6,204 mortgage loans with an outstanding balance of $989 million in Gateway Cities. That represents 37% of our loan servicing portfolio in terms of loans and 32% in terms of outstanding balance. Thirteen of the top 15 communities in our portfolio are Gateway Cities, and all 26 fall in our top 50.

Gateway Cities are defined as communities with populations between 35,000 and 250,000, and with average household income and educational attainment rate below state averages. The 26 Gateway Cities are Attleborough, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield and Worcester.

Gateway Cities jibe well with MassHousing's mission, given their economic and demographic profiles, as well as the crucial role housing plays in their ongoing prosperity. They're also high among economic development priorities of Governor Patrick and the Legislature. The communities have been a major focus of the Agency's Home Ownership Business Development group—which works with partner lenders, municipalities, nonprofits and other entities to increase awareness and use of MassHousing's affordable mortgage products—and will be the target of an upcoming homeownership marketing campaign.