WORCESTER—The Worcester Housing Authority has officially broken ground on a sweeping redevelopment of Lakeside Apartments, a 75-year-old public housing complex overlooking Coes Pond.
The project — a collaboration between WHA, Tremont Development Partners, and E3 Development — replaces the existing 202 apartments with 350 new rental units and adds 10 affordable homeownership opportunities.
At Wednesday’s groundbreaking, state and local officials called the redevelopment a model for how public-private partnerships can address Massachusetts’ housing shortage while creating stronger, mixed-income neighborhoods.
Governor Maura Healey said the Lakeside project “will provide reasonably priced homes and a wonderful community for hundreds of Worcester residents.” She added, “Our administration is proud to support this project as part of our efforts to improve homeownership opportunities and lower housing costs across the state.”
Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said the redevelopment reflects “the power of collaboration.”
“The new Lakeside Apartments will long stand as a shining example of the power of collaboration,” Driscoll said. “This project came together through public and private partnership, leading us to where we are today: celebrating the start of something new and wonderful, creating a brighter future for our families, and continuing to make progress toward addressing our housing needs.”
Ed Augustus, secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and former Worcester city manager, praised the city’s continued leadership in rethinking public housing. “Worcester continues to lead the nation in reimagining what public housing can be — building modern, accessible communities where residents can take pride in their homes and their neighborhoods,” he said. “The Healey-Driscoll Administration and HLC are proud to support the Lakeside Apartments redevelopment.”
A major transformation on Coes Pond
The four-phase project is being built to modern accessibility and energy standards, including Passive House design. Phase 1 replaces 61 existing units with 116 new apartments, most of them affordable to households earning 30 to 60 percent of area median income. About 70 percent of those units have two or three bedrooms.
Phase 2 focuses on creating 10 affordable homeownership units for low-income families, supported by the state’s Commonwealth Builder Program and Worcester’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Construction on both phases is expected to begin in late 2025.
WHA Board Chair Joseph P. Carlson, who grew up in public housing, said the redevelopment marks a “positive impact on the City of Worcester.”
“Worcester is my home,” Carlson said. “I know what it means to residents to have a place they can be proud of and feel safe to raise their families in. The time has come for a new Lakeside Apartments, and with it, will come job opportunities for skilled workers.”
WHA CEO Alex Corrales called the project “transformative,” thanking residents for their patience during the planning process.
“Lakeside Apartments isn’t just a bunch of buildings and apartments,” Corrales said. “It’s families and children who want to live their best lives, make their dreams come true, and have a place to call home they can truly be proud of.”
Developers echoed that sentiment. Tremont Development Partners principal Rich Mazzocchi said the project represents years of partnership and persistence. “Something like this does not happen without many partners coming together, through the good and the bad, with a common vision,” he said.
Eliza Datta, president of E3 Development, said, “This project is a terrific example of how we can enhance and sustain this critical affordable housing resource for the future. Everyone who has played a role in this project can walk away knowing we are creating something very special.”
The Lakeside redevelopment joins a series of large-scale housing efforts in Worcester aimed at increasing affordability, modernizing aging public housing stock, and integrating new homeownership opportunities into mixed-income neighborhoods.
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