(L-R): Mike McGowan, NHS board member; Kristen Harol, president of the Life Initiative; Tim Dougherty, NHS; Rob Corley, NHS; Rob May, director of planning and economic development for the city of Brockton; State Representative Michelle M. DuBois; State Representative Rita A. Mendes; Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus; Jeff Charnel, North Easton Savings Bank and NHS board member; Brockton City Councilor-At-Large Jean Bradley; Brockton City Councilor-Ward 4 Susan Nicastro; Mike Healy of Kingston, South Shore Bank and NHS board member; Will Morgan, CEDAC; and Brian Porter, NEI Construction
NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions (NHS; www.nhsmass.org), the leading housing service provider in southeastern Massachusetts, held a February 29th groundbreaking celebration at 1200 Montello Street in Brockton, Massachusetts, the future home of the Brockton South Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
The transformative mixed-use, mixed-income rental development, located directly adjacent to the Brockton Campello Commuter Rail Station, will encompass 94 units of affordable housing and ground-floor neighborhood-level retail in one of the Commonwealth’s critically important Gateway Cities.
As an in-fill and smart-growth project with Passive House design, the development will rejuvenate the former site of a truck repair shop and brownfield tow yard to create a sustainable, affordable vibrant residential community that minimizes environmental impact and boosts social benefits.
The 1200 Montello Street development is the first to break ground within the city’s new Campello TOD Master-Plan Residential District.
In attendance at the February 29th mid-morning groundbreaking ceremony were Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan and Secretary Edward Augustus, of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), as well as Rob May, Brockton’s director of planning and economic development; Brockton City Councilor Susan Nicastro; State Representative Michelle DuBois; State Representative Rita Mendes; Mark Lannigan from the office of Senator Edward Markey; Keyana Adarkwah from the office of Congressman Stephen Lynch; Dottie Fulginiti, vice president of community investment for MassDevelopment; CEDAC’s Affordable Housing Project Manager Will Morgan; and representatives of NEI General Contracting.
In his remarks, Mayor Sullivan pointed out that this is one of many recent projects spearheaded by NeighborWorks Housing Solutions in Brockton over the last few years. The organization broke ground last spring on a project to convert the former Lincoln School into senior housing, and also led development of Sycamore on Main, a mixed-use community in the heart of downtown Brockton.
“This project is the type of smart transit-oriented development that will help us navigate our way through the housing crisis,” said Secretary Augustus. “Congratulations to NeighborWorks Housing Solutions and the city of Brockton for your thoughtful partnership and for creating more housing so the people of Brockton can afford to live and work here. I look forward to returning for the ribbon-cutting when families get to call this beautiful new project home.”
“This project represents comprehensive community development at its best,” added Robert Corley, CEO of NeighborWorks Housing Solutions. “The need for affordable housing in this region is immense, and this project is best-in-class, offering 94 units of mixed income, all affordable, and some deeply affordable. We are so grateful for everyone who has contributed to get us to this point, and we can’t wait to come back and welcome the first residents to this new community.”
Funding for this project was provided by the city of Brockton, the Brockton Redevelopment Authority, Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, U.S. Congress/Community Project Funding (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023), Dorfman Capital, Hudson Housing Capital, The Life Initiative, MassDevelopment, MassHousing, and Neighborhood Housing Finance Corporation.
The development team is comprised of NEI General Contracting, Utile, McPhail & Associates, WinnResidential, JK Holmgren Engineering, Inc., Father Bill’s & MainSpring, Munkenbeck Consulting, and Klein Hornig.
NeighborWorks Housing Solutions is the leading housing service provider in southern Massachusetts. NeighborWorks Housing Solutions has locations in Quincy, Kingston, Taunton, Brockton, New Bedford, and Fall River.
About NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions
NeighborWorks® Housing Solutions is the leading housing service provider in southern Massachusetts. NHS has more than 70 years of combined experience in the community development field and provides services to more than 20,000 households in over 75 cities and towns across the region. In addition to building and managing nearly 900 units of housing for veterans, homeless families and others in need, the agency offers a wide range of housing services, including foreclosure prevention counseling, home rehabilitation loans and grants, financial coaching and first-time homebuyer workshops. For more information, contact call 617-770-5217 or visit www.nhsmass.org.
