Mission

The Coalition for a Better Acre is a membership based community development corporation dedicated to resident empowerment and sustainable community revitalization for current and future residents of Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. We promote healthy, vibrant neighborhoods by developing resident leaders, affordable housing and economic opportunities, and by responding to community needs through collective action.

Values

  • We believe in respect and dignity for everyone.

  • We value openness, honesty, and genuine trust between people.

  • We value listening to others and being responsive to the community’s needs.

  • We believe in the importance of leadership development and building resident engagement across a diverse spectrum of people.

  • We value collaboration, partnership, and teamwork within our organization and between our organization and others.

Vision

We strive for Lowell’s neighborhoods to be affordable, vibrant, and diverse places of choice where residents are engaged leaders, and where local stakeholders work in partnership to build family and community assets.

Approach

  • We set ambitious, yet realistic and measurable goals that will help us produce quality results.

  • We will be strategic, creative and flexible in carrying out our work.

  • Our actions will be guided by our desired outcomes. We intend to evaluate our progress based on our ability to achieve these outcomes.

  • To ensure that we are continually improving, we will instill the practice of reflection and evaluation.

  • We will develop an organization that is sustainable and managed with integrity.

  • We will invest in directors and resident leadership development, ensuring that we represent the community and are accountable to it. 

 

History

1982 – CBA (Coalition for a Better Acre): Established by a group of residents, clergy, businesspeople, and nonprofit leaders dedicated to saving the Acre neighborhood from an urban renewal plan that would have displaced hundreds of residents.  

1983 – Acre Homeownership. CBA revitalizes 38 housing units in the Acre Triangle, making it possible for 24 low and moderate income families to become homeowners and providing safe, quality rental units for 14 others. The homeownership rate in the Acre Triangle neighborhood increased dramatically from 1% to 25%.   

1983-1989 – Save the North Canal Apartments. After a six-year fight, residents successfully oppose a plan to demolish the failed 267-unit North Canal Apartments on Moody Street, taking ownership of the complex from Housing and Urban Development (HUD) -  the first community takeover of an expiring use property in the United States. CBA raises $20 million to rehabilitate the apartments. 

Acre neighbors have cared for their community from the start.

Acre neighbors have cared for their community from the start.

1988 – Acre Family Day Care. CBA established Acre Family Day Care to train low-income women from many ethnic groups to start their own home-based business as family daycare providers. Today, Acre Family Child Care providers care for nearly 400 children every day, including overnight and weekend child care for parents working 2nd and 3rd shifts. 

1990 – Merrimack Street Apartments. This $2 million historic rehabilitation of a mixed-use property generated 12 rental apartments and six commercial storefronts at 442-460 Merrimack Street. 

1991 – Acre Youth Center. CBA organizes youth and community members to petition for a youth center in the Acre. Later, with site control established, the youth work with an architect to design the space and help raise the funds for renovations. The Acre Youth Center is opened by the YWCA on Rock Street in 1995. 

1992 – Organizing Against Slumlord. CBA organizes tenants that live in Adams Street apartments owned by attorney Wendy Golenbock, one of Lowell’s notorious slum landlords, and successfully argue that she does not warrant Section 8 subsidization because she fails to maintain the apartments appropriately. Golenbock is later disbarred and imprisoned for bankruptcy fraud. 

1993 – Enterprise Development Center. CBA provides comprehensive business training to existing and start-up small businesses and loans. 

1994 – 95 Rock Street Business Enterprises. CBA purchases the 42,000-square-foot mill building at 95 Rock Street to retain and create jobs for local and low-income individuals in light manufacturing. Today, the building is the home of UnWrapped Inc., a textile manufacturing company, employing 200 people, of whom many are Cambodian immigrants and Acre residents. CBA provided loan and equity financing to UnWrapped in 2001.    

1996 – Fletcher Street Condominiums. These three-bedroom townhouses at 194-244 Fletcher Street are built of high quality modular construction for greater durability and lower maintenance. Eight homeownership units are developed on three previously troubled lots and sold to low-income first-time homebuyers. CBA acts as developer and general contractor for the project. 

1997 – Triangle Rental. CBA led the $4 million residential and mixed-use rehabilitation development comprising 26 housing units and three commercial units. Two of the four buildings were restored to preserve their historical significance in the neighborhood. 

1997 – Workforce Development. CBA launches an economic development initiative designed to give low-income men and women the skills they need to get good-paying jobs in partnership with training institutions including UMass Lowell, the Institute for Environmental Training, consulting firm Change Dynamics and Greater Lowell Technical High School. An environmental jobs program prepares low-income minorities from Lowell in either an environmental construction or technician track, preparing them to perform hazardous waste cleanup or monitoring and sampling at hazardous waste sites.  

1998 – Welcome Home Project. CBA starts a mortgage assistance and homebuyer counseling program to assist low- and moderate-income first-time homebuyers. With help from the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, $2 million is invested in homeownership in Lowell annually, creating new partnerships with banks and the Merrimack Valley Housing Partnership. 

1999 Acre Redevelopment Plan. CBA forms the Acre Task Force to foster an improved working relationship with the City of Lowell and to negotiate an Acre redevelopment plan with resident, city and business representatives. As a result, CBA secures a commitment that half of new homes developed in the Acre must be affordable to families earning 50 percent or less of the Lowell median income. 

2001 – Moody Street Center. CBA converts the historically significant former St. Joseph’s Convent at 517 Moody Street into a community center for North Canal residents, with two floors of office space above housing Maloney Properties, Community Teamwork’s Fuel Assistance Program, and CBA’s new offices.  

2003 – At Home in Lowell, 252 Fletcher St. At 252 Fletcher Street, a new duplex is built for two first-time homebuyers on a corner lot with off-street parking and yards.  

2004 – Liberty Square Project. This $7 million development, in partnership with a private developer, leads to the renovation of four deteriorating buildings on highly visible streets, creating 33 units of affordable housing and five units of commercial space.  

2005 – Suffolk Street Joint Venture with Residents First Development Corp. The Suffolk Street Joint venture project includes the development of five, three-bedroom duplexes for moderate-income homeownership and low-income rental.  

2006 – Moody Street Playground. CBA worked with neighborhood youth to create a city-approved plan for improvements to the Moody Street Playground. The project was completed in 2009, and features a new basketball court, landscaping, lighting, and fencing.  

2007 – North Canal Apartments Renovations. CBA refinances and rehabilitates this 267-unit rental property, which is owned and managed by a partnership that includes CBA and the North Canal Tenant Council. The project is accomplished with significant resident participation and decision-making, preserving the affordability and sustainability of these apartments in perpetuity. 

2008 – Home Preservation Center. CBA founded the Home Preservation Center (HPC), a one stop location to help homeowners experiencing difficulty meeting their mortgage payments and those in need of post-purchase education throughout the region.  

2008 – St. Joseph’s Apartments. The St. Joseph’s School project created 15 affordable one-, two-, and three-bedroom rental units, in the historic former St. Joseph’s School at 511 Moody St. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

2009 – Mill Cities Community Investments. In 2008, CBA and Lawrence Community Works (LCW), a Community Development Corporation (CDC) serving Lawrence, joined together to establish a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) to serve the Merrimack Valley.   

2009 – ACTION (Acre Coalition to Improve Our Neighborhood): CBA staff works with community leader Dave Ouellette to create the Acre’s neighborhood group, giving residents a voice.  

2010 – Acre High School Apartments. CBA completes the renovation of the former St. Joseph’s High School at 760 Merrimack Street into 22 units of permanently affordable rental housing. 

2011 – Unity Place Apartments. Unity Place Apartments replaces two of the city’s most notorious blighted buildings with 23 one-, two-, and three-bedroom units of smart, green affordable housing on Moody Street. 

2015 – Gorham Street Apartments. CBA’s first project outside of the Acre, this new 5-story building on the former site of St. Peter’s Church has 24 affordable units.  

Welcome Home was CBA’s first project outside of Lowell

Welcome Home was CBA’s first project outside of Lowell

2015 – Welcome Home Apartments. Partnering with Veterans Northeast Outreach Center (VNEOC), CBA built 27 units of veterans-preference affordable housing on three parcels in Haverhill. It was CBA’s first project outside of Lowell.  

2015 – YES (Youth Educational Success): An after-school program that serves 25 neighborhood kids in grades 1-8 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. four days a week. The mission is to provide academic support and open the door to activities and experiences they otherwise would not be able to access. 

2015 – Empower: A nine-week leadership class in partnership with Lowell Alliance.  

2016 – Smith Baker Center. CBA is named developer of the Smith Baker Center, with plans to redevelop the 12,458-square-foot former church into a multi-purpose, multi-cultural community center.  

2016 – Asociacion Latina de Lowell. A group established with the purpose of reaching out to and empowering the Latino community to get involved in civic life.   

2016 – STEP (Supported Training Education Program): This six-week program equips high school graduates and GED recipients with the skills they need for career success and places them in entry-level positions within medical device manufacturing companies. 

2017 – CHOP (Community Health Outreach Program) Dinners: A monthly dinner series bringing the community together over food to hold discussions about community health issues and topics.  

2017 – Franco American School. CBA is working, in partnership with developer Brian McGowan, to redevelop the historic former school site to include market and affordable housing units, as well as some commercial space. CBA is also constructing a canal side park to house and preserve the grotto and 14 Stations of the Cross remaining on the site.   

2017 – Gerson Building. In a second veterans’ housing project in Haverhill with VNEOC, CBA is planning to build 44 units of new, affordable housing with a preference for veterans at the site of the former Gerson Furniture Building. Construction is expected to break ground in spring 2018.  

2017 – Lowell House. CBA announces plans to redevelop 555 Merrimack Street into a building with retail space on the ground floor and about two dozen sober-living apartments upstairs. Lowell House will move its clinical and day programs to a Lowell Community Health Center Building on Jackson Street. 

2017 – Lowell High School Project Community Meeting. CBA held an informative meeting at Lowell High School to discuss the Lowell High Project and its impact on the community. Skanska USA/Perkin Eastman, Lowell’s project manager, presented the last few options for the project in the downtown area. This meeting also updated the community on the project’s future, and gave people the opportunity to express themselves through thoughts, ideas, or questions.

2019 – Community Meetings on Election System Change. CBA teamed with the City of Lowell and community partners such as Lowell Votes, Working Cities Lowell, and Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, to host events that discussed changes to the election system in Lowell. The events covered two options for the election system change: ranked choice voting and hybrid at-large/district representation. Lowell residents got the opportunity to obtain information, and consider their involvement in the change.

2019 – Dracut Centre School/Town Hall Annex Project. Dracut and CBA partnered to transform the Dracut Centre School/Town Hall Annex into housing which would serve and be affordable for veterans. CBA planned to develop nine units. The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) chose CBA to work with Dracut. Veterans Assisting Veterans and Veterans Northeast Outreach Center were also partners in the project.

2020 – Gerson Building Completion. CBA completed the Gerson Building housing project, then on November 12, celebrated it with a socially distanced ribbon cutting ceremony. Capital One, Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, and the City of Haverhill supported and funded the project.

2020 – COVID-19 Emergency Response. CBA contacted over 700 individuals to ask about changes during the pandemic. Early outreach revealed a 15% increase in job loss among members and difficulty accessing food. CBA responded by delivering food and essential items, distributing PPE, and connecting program participants with tablets, laptops, and printers.

2020 – The Gerson Building: CBA developed 44-units of veterans’ preference housing on the site of the former Gerson Furniture store; CBA’s second veterans’ housing project in Haverhill with Veterans Northeast Outreach Center. The first-floor of the Gerson Building is commercial space designated for an educational institution.

2021 –Grotto Restoration. CBA developed a canal-side park at the site of the former Franco-American School Grotto and Stations of the Cross. Repairs and upgrades were made to preserve the grotto and 14 Stations of the Cross remaining on the site. 

2021 – Walk-In Center: CBA re-opens the office at 450 Merrimack Street as a full-service Walk-In Center. Translation services, a food pantry, computer lab, and general assistance are available at the ADA-accessible storefront in the Acre.

2021 – Whiting Street Garden Rebuild: CBA’s community garden undergoes a substantial rebuild to replace 12 beds and reconfigure plots after a housefire in a neighboring lot and years of disuse left the garden in disrepair.

2021 – Sewing and English classes: A sewing program with 10-week sessions is developed for non-English speakers. Participants can also enroll in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at the CBA Walk-In Center.

2021 – Health Access Program: A continuation of COVID-19 response, the Health Access Program coordinates the CBA food pantry, vaccine outreach, and partnerships with public health entities.

2022 – Empoderados and Latin Empowerment and Advocacy Program (LEAP). The nine-week leadership development program designed by and for Latinos provides education and resources on how to create and lead grassroots change. The LEAP Coordinator facilitates the workshops with help from local leaders and former Empower participants.

2022 – Dracut Centre School Complete. The historic preservation and renovation of the former four room school created 9-units of affordable housing. CBA’s first development project in Dracut has a preference for veterans and tenants who earn 80% of the Annual Median Income.

2022 – 555 Merrimack Project Breaks Ground. Construction begins at the former site of Lowell House Addiction Recovery and Treatment Center. CBA will bring 27 units of permanent housing to the Acre and provide supportive services, including recovery coaches and a full-time, on-site case manager for residents in partnership with Lowell House. The four-story development is projected to be complete by July 2023.