WinnDevelopment has secured financing to develop a unique affordable housing community on the campus of New England Homes for the Deaf (NEHD) in Danvers, Massachusetts.
The Waterhouse will provide 116 apartment homes for deaf, deafblind, and hard-of-hearing seniors.
“The Waterhouse will be a first-of-its-kind community for WinnDevelopment, thoughtfully designed to serve a unique resident population in partnership with an organization that shares our commitment to creating lasting, positive impact,” said WinnDevelopment president Adam Stein.
Funding for the $48 million construction effort closed Oct. 20, following six years of design, planning, and entitlement work by WinnDevelopment and NEHD.
Apartments and shared spaces in The Waterhouse are designed to make it easier to navigate and be more supportive of independent living for seniors with hearing and other disabilities or who are simply dealing with the many new challenges that can come with aging.
The three-story, 136,970-square-foot community will feature wide, gently curved corridors and open sightlines to support visual communication and awareness, including continuous hallway handrails, step-free entries, power-operated doors, tactile flooring transitions, and distinct elevator-lobby finishes to help residents orient themselves and move through the building. Enhanced life-safety systems in every apartment will include visual alerts, strobes, and bed-shaker systems.
“Over the years, NEHD has explored a variety of options for the undeveloped land on our campus, but none aligned as closely with our mission as the opportunity we found through our partnership with WinnDevelopment,” said NEHD CEO and executive director Daniel Burns. “This project represents a significant step toward securing NEHD’s future while expanding housing opportunities for the deaf and deafblind community. We are proud to be working with a partner who shares our commitment to serving this community and supporting its long-term needs.”
The community will offer 79 one-bedroom, 21 two-bedroom, and 16 studio apartment homes.
Seventy-two apartments will be leased for adults 55 or older with incomes at or below 60% of the area median income (AMI). Twenty-one apartments will be deeply affordable at or below 30% of the AMI, and 23 apartments will be rent-restricted at or below 165% of the AMI.
The Waterhouse is being made possible by multiple public and private partners.
The Massachusetts Executive Office for Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) awarded state and federal low-income housing tax credits for the community. EOHLC also delivered support from the Housing Stabilization Fund and Non-Federal Investment Trust and partnered with the Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. (CEDAC) to provide funds from the Community-Based Housing program and the Facilities Consolidation Fund.
MassHousing delivered a tax-exempt bridge loan, a first mortgage, and an award from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, while the town of Danvers awarded funds to support The Waterhouse through its Affordable Housing Trust. Bank of America purchased the state and federal tax credits to the community and provided the project’s construction loan.
The Waterhouse will be designed and built as a passive house community, meaning it will meet or exceed stringent standards for reduced energy use for heating and cooling. The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources awarded the project a $1.74 million grant to support all-electric heating and hot water systems, advanced controls, electric vehicle charging stations, and provisions for renewable energy that help advance the state’s decarbonization goals.
Robinson+Cole served as legal counsel for the financial closing.
WinnDevelopment vice president Steve Senna and assistant project director Brendan Julian will oversee the development. Windover Construction is serving as general contractor, using designs by architectural firm CUBE 3. Weston & Sampson is serving as civil engineer.