Housing Assistance Project in Orleans Awarded Funds From the Healey-Driscoll Administration

A proposed housing development by Housing Assistance was among more than two dozen projects included in $246 million in direct subsidies and state and federal housing tax credits for affordable housing announced by the Healey-Driscoll Administration in May

The award will help fund 107 Main Street, a new construction project to be built in Orleans by Housing Assistance in partnership with the Town of Orleans. Permitted through Chapter 40B, the project will feature 14 new affordable units for individuals and/or families. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (formerly the Department of Housing and Community Development) will support the project with subsidy funds and the town of Orleans also will provide significant funds of its own to the project

“This funding is a vital boost for an important affordable housing project that will provide urgently needed housing to 14 households,” said Housing Assistance CEO Alisa Magnotta. “Developments like 107 Main Street are critical in adding the kinds of housing we need to keep our workforce living and working on Cape Cod, at a time when nearly half of the Cape’s workforce commutes from over the Canal bridges. We are very grateful that Gov Healey sees the urgency in adding new affordable housing on Cape Cod and across Massachusetts ”

The project will be developed on town-owned land as part of a public-private partnership to redevelop a blighted building and convert it into new units. The project has been designed to incorporate numerous green features, including high-efficiency electric heat pumps.

“This is a project that started with a breakfast table conversation in January 2019,” said Alan McClennan, chair of the Orleans Affordable Housing Trust. “It’s an example of the dedication it takes to see an idea become a reality. It also highlights the importance of strong partnerships between towns and nonprofits like Housing Assistance ”

The site was formerly the location of a Masonic Lodge that was built in 1971. The Orleans Affordable Housing Trust bought the land in 2019.

“The Town of Orleans is grateful for the leadership Housing Assistance provided in securing funding that can now move this project forward,” said Orleans selectman Mark Mathison. “It’s encouraging to see the state not only identify but address the need for housing in small towns like Orleans.”

“This is a perfect example of how affordable housing should be done,” Magnotta added “The Town of Orleans, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Housing Assistance came together with a common goal: providing housing for people who can’t afford the median home price in what has become a protracted housing crisis.”