Work begins on school-to-seniors apartments project
LONDON: Work has begun on a school-to-seniors apartments project. It forms part of a growing school recycling trend.
Construction has begun on turning the former Wells School in Southbridge into a 62-unit apartment building for seniors.
The nearly $26-million project will be for residents 55 and older, with all but six units given affordability restrictions for households earning 60% or less of the area median income. It is expected to be complete by March 2022.
The Wells School has sat vacant for nearly a decade in downtown Southbridge at the intersection of Main and Marcy streets. The three-story, 90,000-square-foot school was built in 1916 and is named after Mary E. Wells, the first woman elected to public office in Southbridge when she was elected to the town board of education in the 1890s. She was also the wife and co-founder of the president of American Optical, once a major employer in town, according to WinnCompanies, the Boston firm whose housing development arm is building the project.
Keith Construction of Canton is the general contractor and The Architectural Team of Chelsea is the architect. WinnResident, another Winn office, will provide property management services.
The project was aided by historic tax credits and financing of unspecified amounts by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, MassHousing, Community Economic Development Assistance Corp., BlueHub Capital and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.
