While East Boston is quickly becoming a very expensive place in which to live, there are several developments that aim to help low to moderate income families remain in the neighborhood they call home.
The City of Boston’s Home Center announced that the lottery for the East Boston Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) Coppersmith Village affordable units is now open.
The deadline for the lottery to own one of eight townhouses currently being constructed as part of the Coppersmith Village project is Monday, August 20. Applications are available by contacting Boston’s Home Center at 617-635-4663 or downloading an application at www.boston.gov/departments/neighborhood-development/boston-home-center.
According to the lottery regulations all homes are sold by lottery and only qualified applicants earning 80 to 100 percent of the Area Median Income as defined by HUD will be entered. The property is deed-restricted and owner-occupancy and rental requirements apply. Qualified applicants must also be first-time homebuyers and complete an approved homebuyer education course prior to closing. Minimum household size requirement is number of bedrooms minus one, but a preference is given to households with one person per bedroom.
According to NOAH the four attached townhouses at 86, 88, 98 and 100 Liverpool St. will be priced at $353,000. Each unit is a three bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1,951 square-foot home with energy efficient systems, one car garage, deck and central air.
The townhouses at 82, 84, 90 and 96 Liverpool St. will be priced at $294,000. Again, each unit is a three bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1,951 square-foot home with energy efficient systems, one car garage, deck and central air.
The project received Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) approval last summer. The Coppersmith Village development that was once the site of an ironworks company is on the block bounded by Border Street, Decatur Street, Liverpool Street, and Coppersmith Way. The block will be will be transformed into a mixed-use development of 56 rental apartments, 15 townhouses and 3,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor on the corner of Border and Decatur Streets that will house a restaurant with outdoor seating. The project includes 49 affordable and 22 market rate units, as well as the restaurant.
The apartment building will be located on Border Street with the townhouses planned for Liverpool that ties into the typical triple-decker of Eastie. Coppersmith Way will be opened up and serve as entrance for parking for the apartment building and townhouses.
The housing at Coppersmith Village approved by the BPDA will be a mix of affordable and market-rate units, both rental and ownership.
NOAH Executive Director Phil Giffee added that NOAH’s vision is to create a modest ownership and rental mix that meshes well with the existing urban fabric and accommodates a diverse range of neighborhood needs. The affordable housing units are more than the 13 percent requirement of the city’s inclusionary development policy.
Financing for the $26 million was provided by the state and East Boston Savings Bank.