City explores additional affordable housing options on Fernald property

Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy told trustees of the city’s Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund she’s exploring a bid to turn buildings at the former Fernald State School into affordable veterans’ housing.

At Tuesday’s Board of Trustees meeting, McCarthy said she recently viewed the site with a company that offered a bid to build affordable housing there. 

She said the company has proposed turning the two-story Dolan Hall, a former dormitory for adult residents of the Fernald State School, into housing for veterans and has indicated it may consider expanding its bid to include adjacent buildings.

McCarthy added she was in contact with one other party interested in providing housing at the property and hopes to meet with representatives soon.

The city recently finished work to turn Cardinal Cottage, another property on the site, into two units of affordable housing using money from the MAHTF. McCarthy told trustees the cottage, which received a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals in April to exist in a nonresidential zone, is ready for occupancy and the city will soon offer applications for a housing lottery.

Additionally, the fund’s trustees

• Received an update on the city-run Nahum Hardy Elderly Housing, at the site of the former Hardy Elementary School. The building is at full occupancy, with rents priced to be affordable to residents making around 50% of the area median income.
• Discussed a project to build a women’s shelter at the former Elks Lodge on School Street. Trustees in April voted to use $1,301,995 from the trust fund to renovate the building, which will include an emergency shelter space and lodging-house style residences. The mayor said the city’s Wires, Building and Maintenance departments are working to fix the building as much as possible before the city hires a project architect.