Somerville Housing Authority selects development partners for Clarendon Hill property

Clarendon Hill Rendering - Somerville, MA

Somerville, MA According to Somerville Housing Authority (SHA), nonprofits Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and real estate investment/development firm Gate Residential have been selected to develop the Clarendon Hill property located at 34 North St. The Clarendon team was selected earlier this month by the SHA’s selection committee after review of the proposals and an interview process.

“We would not have reached this stage without mayor Curtatone’s strong and continued support to preserve and protect the families at Clarendon through thoughtful transformative redevelopment.” said Joseph Macaluso, SHA’s executive director.

The POAH-SCC and Gate Residential proposal calls for the redevelopment of the site to preserve and recreate the affordability of the existing apartments and create a residential community that offers housing targeted towards a mix of income ranges, enhanced amenities and better connection to the surrounding neighborhood. Over the course of the coming months, the organizations will work with the SHA on a public process that will work with the existing residents, the surrounding community, and other community stake-holders to refine and advance the plan proposed as part of their submission.

“This marks the beginning of an extensive public process,” said Danny LeBlanc of SCC. “We know that the input of residents, neighbors, and community leaders will be invaluable to our goal of creating a healthy and vibrant residential community.”

“We look forward to working closely with the Somerville Housing Authority and our partners to revitalize existing public housing at Clarendon Hill while creating new housing options for families with a range of incomes,” said POAH President/CEO Aaron Gornstein.

“We look forward to working with our partners and building on our experience with Maxwell’s Green to advance a mixed-income development that will benefit the current residents, the surrounding neighborhood and the City of Somerville,” said Greg Bialecki, a principal at Gate Residential, a multifaceted real estate investment and development firm specializing in the multifamily sector.

The team plans to pursue a state Department of Housing and Community Development grant to support pre-development planning activities for the redevelopment of the site.

The team’s proposal can be found online at: http://sha-web.org/bids.aspx

POAH is a Boston-based nonprofit developer, owner and operator of nearly 9,000 affordable homes in 9 states and the District of Columbia including over 2,900 apartment homes in Massachusetts. The closest property to Clarendon is Briston Arms, a mixed-income complex in Cambridge. POAH also owns and operates 500 units of senior affordable housing in three buildings in Boston and is a partner with Boston Housing Authority for the redevelopment of the Whittier Street area in the Roxbury section of the city.

Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) is a membership organization that has worked to support low- and moderate-income Somerville residents to achieve economic sustainability and increase civic participation for nearly 50 years. Since the 1980s, SCC has completed more than 21 affordable housing developments, resulting in over 200 ownership and rental units in Somerville.

Gate Residential is a real estate investment and development firm specializing in the multifamily sector and focuses on creating unique and vibrant developments in urban neighborhoods. Gate was the developer of Maxwell›s Green in Somerville and is completing new apartment developments in Chelsea and Quincy this spring.