Portfolio
555 Merrimack, 2023
Coalition for a Better Acre successfully redeveloped a single-story office building into four-story mixed-use development that includes 27 units (7 studios, 11 one-bedrooms, 9 two-bedrooms) of affordable housing and a 1700 sq ft storefront at 555 Merrimack Street, Lowell, MA. CBA, in partnership with Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery Inc, has developed this supportive housing project to serve the substance use disorder (SUD) population by providing independent, apartment style affordable housing with services targeted to continue and advance residents’ recovery. CBA is working with Lowell House to provide supportive services with 40 hours a week of staff time dedicated to providing recovery coach and case management services to the residents. The small storefront is utilized as a brand new laundry facility for residents of both 555 Merrimack Street and CBA’s residents of North Canal.
CBA and Lowell House Inc believe that by creating a model for affordable housing for people in recovery we can reduce the likelihood of cyclical relapse and homelessness that affects the SUD population. Additionally, we hope this project can serve as a model for other Community Development Corporations to develop similar housing in their communities to help address the opioid epidemic and other substance use disorder issues.
Dracut Center School 2021
CBA is the owner and sponsor of the Dracut Centre School redevelopment which was completed in July 2022 and entailed the adaptive reuse of a historic four-room grade school located at 11 Spring Park Avenue, Dracut, MA 01826 into nine (9) units of workforce housing for individuals and families earning less than 80% of Area Median Income. The project incorporates a veteran-preference on the units to house a veteran population and gives opportunity to veterans who may be housing insecure but over-income on traditional Federal LIHTC financed affordable housing (60% AMI).
Before
After
Gerson Building, 2020
181-215 Washington Street, Haverhill
44 Veteran’s-preference Units
Second veterans’ housing project that was built in partnership with Veterans Northeast Outreach Center (VNEOC). CBA started work on the project in 2018.
Welcome Home, 2015
Tremont and Reed Streets, Haverhill
27 Veteran’s-preference Units
Service-enhanced housing in partnership with VNEOC.
Gorham Street, 2015
305 Gorham Street, Lowell
24 Apartments and Townhouses
LEED-certifiable.
New development at the former site of St. Peter’s Church.
CBA’s first housing project located outside of Lowell.
Unity Place, 2011
482 Moody Street, Lowell
23 One-, Two-, and Three-bedroom Apartments
$80 million transformation of the Moody Street corridor.
Replaced two of the city’s most notoriously blighted buildings.
Acre High School, 2010
2010, 760 Merrimack Street, Lowell
22 Apartments
Former St. Joseph’s High School.
St. Joseph’s School, 2008
511 Moody Street
15 Apartments
Adaptive reuse of an historic school building that had been vacant for many years and is adjacent to CBA offices.
Two units are set aside for clients of the Department of Mental Health.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings.
Carriage Place, 2006
48-64 Middlesex Street
24 Residential, 4 Commercial Units
CBA took on management and stabilized the property in Lowell’s downtown.
Suffolk St. Joint Venture, 2005
76-132 Suffolk Street
5 Three-bedroom Duplexes
Moderate-income homeownership and low-income rentals.
Designed to match the styles common in the early 20th century.
Partnership with Residents First Development Corp.
Liberty Square, 2004
Broadway, Suffolk, and Marian Streets
33 Residential, 5 Commercial Units
Renovated the London Tailor building at the corner of Broadway and Suffolk Streets and neighboring 163 Broadway and 34 Marian Street properties to create 15 apartments.
Renovated the Ryan Building to retain the five commercial units and create 18 apartments.
Private-public partnership.
At Home, 2003
252 Fletcher Street
1 Duplex
A duplex was built for two first-time homebuyers on a corner lot with off-street parking and yards.
Moody Street Center, 2002
517 Moody Street
Office/Community Space
Converted the historically significant former St. Joseph’s Convent into a large community center for North Canal residents with two floors of new office space above.
Restored to Historic Preservation Standards.
Triangle Rental, 1997
Broadway, Suffolk, Fletcher, and Market Streets
26 Residential, 3 Commercial Units
$4 million residential and mixed-use rehabilitation development.
Four buildings were worked on. Two of them were restored for preservation.
Fletcher Street Condominiums, 1996
198-242 Fletcher Street
8 Homeownership Units, 3 Townhouses
Three-bedroom townhouses built of high quality modular construction for greater durability and lower maintenance.
Eight homeownership units were developed on three previously troubled lots and sold to low-income first-time homebuyers.
Rock St. Manufacturing, 1994
95 Rock St.
Manufacturing Space
Incubator space was turned into 4 floors for UnWrapped, Inc.
Now employs 200+, mostly Acre neighbors.
Manufacture military gloves, reusable shopping bags, and more.
Merrimack Street Apartments, 1990
Refinance and Improvements, 2007
442-460 Merrimack Street
12 Residential, 5 Commercial Units
$2 million historic preservation of mixed-use property.
North Canal Apartments,1989
Refinance and Improvements, 2007
Moody Street
267 Apartments
CBA raised $20 million to rehabilitate and financially restructure 267-unit apartments that were failing and in poor condition. Residents of the area went on a six-year campaign to prevent the demolition of the buildings. Through their efforts, they gained ownership of the property from HUD.
The rental property is owned and managed by a partnership that includes CBA and the North Canal Tenant Council.
CBA re-finances and renovates the apartments with the assistance of residents through their participation and opinions to make significant decisions.
Preserves the affordability and sustainability of these apartments in perpetuity.
Acre Homeownership, 1983
Suffolk, Adams, Cross and LaGrange Streets
24 Homeownership Units, 13 Attached Rental Apartments
Redevelopment of a severely blighted section of the Acre.
Renovated a total of 37 units.
35 Units of newly constructed affordable homeownership and two rental units. The project required sophisticated scattered site construction management.
This project (Triangle Homeownership), which was completed in 1987, increased homeownership rates in the Triangle from 1% to 25%.