WORCESTER—As a boost to the city’s affordable housing landscape, The Community Builders (TCB) is nearing completion of Merrick at the Square, a 49-unit residential development in the Pleasant Street neighborhood. The project, built on previously underutilized parking space, expands the existing Sever Square complex and represents an innovative approach to addressing the city’s needs for affordable housing.
“The core of this project is a really exciting thing,” TCB Senior Development Project Manager Julia Scannell explained. “There’s a process called 40T in the state of Massachusetts, where the state can step in when the existing affordable housing property is up for sale, and appoint another buyer that would maintain it as affordable housing, instead of that housing transitioning to market rate housing.”
The development’s story originated with TCB’s acquisition of Sever Square, a 134-unit property. TCB stepped in as the state-appointed purchaser when Sever Square was put up for sale. According to Scannell, this allowed the organization to “step in, purchase the property and then preserve its affordability” while moving forward with the new development.
The successful preservation of Sever Square was key in laying the groundwork for the new development. “Sever Square has 134 families who live there,” added Scannell, “ and we performed a very thorough rehab of that property, and it’s now preserved as affordable housing for all the years to come. With that, there was some vacant, underutilized land associated with that property. And because of the 40T process, we were then able to add in the Merrick at the Square project.”
The building features modern amenities while maintaining harmony with the neighborhood’s character. The development incorporates sustainable design elements, meeting LEED and Enterprise Green Communities standards.
Residents benefit from energy-efficient systems, solar power generation, and facilities supporting electric vehicle and bicycle use. Private balconies offer residents access to fresh air and expanded views.
All of the apartments will be affordable for households at or below 60% of average median income (AMI).
Community engagement has been a cornerstone of the project’s development, according to Scannell. “Right when the project was envisioned, we had many forums with the residents going out to them so they could learn about the project and ask questions. We get their input. We asked them what they like about their current apartments. What would they want to see if they were to live somewhere else? They even picked the name for this property.”
Scannell added that the city of Worcester has played a crucial role in bringing the project to fruition, and has been a “key partner” in the zoning and permitting process. “We were a recipient of the city’s newly established Affordable Housing Trust Fund for this project,” said Scannell. “We worked with them on the program for what the city wants to see for housing, which in this neighborhood is family housing, but also accessible housing for those with mobile disabilities.”
While applications are not yet open, TCB anticipates significant demand for the units. “People could inquire or fill out a pre-application to be notified when there’s a waitlist or lottery, which is a requirement from many of the state funders that we utilize for this property,” Scannell explained. TCB expects to have enormous demand for these 49 units, much in excess of the 49 available units.
The development is scheduled for completion in summer 2025, despite facing industry-wide challenges. “We’re definitely on track here,” Scannell confirmed. “It’s a really tough environment for affordable housing at the moment. So a lot of the project is dealing with those complications that we see happening across the industry.”
Established in 1964, TCB has developed more than 14,000 apartments across 16 states and Washington, D.C. As one of the nation’s largest nonprofit developers, the organization said it has maintained its commitment to building sustainable communities where people of all income levels can thrive.
The impact of the development in Worcester extends beyond housing alone. “Residents want to see more folks move into their neighborhood, but also investment in their community and more affordable places to live,” said Scannell. “I think people are seeing what’s happening in downtown Worcester and it spreading out throughout these further out neighborhoods. So to be able to provide long-term affordable housing resources has been exciting for the community.”
The development in Worcester goes beyond just providing housing. Scannell highlighted the community’s hopes for growth, saying residents “want to see more folks move into their neighborhood, but also investment in their community and more affordable places to live.” She added that the revitalization happening in downtown Worcester is expanding to surrounding neighborhoods, making the addition of long-term affordable housing a welcome and exciting development for the area.
Looking ahead, Scannell added, “We’re very grateful for the partnerships we have at the city and the state and with our private partners on this project to have helped guide us through these challenges. We’ll have a wonderful project at the end.”
Matt Olszewski is a freelance content and news writer based in Boston, MA. In his free time, Matt enjoys running, hiking or skiing. Matt just graduated with his MPH from Tufts University. He can be reached at mattoskier@gmail.com
