City approves $100,000 to create affordable women’s housing 

The Waltham City Council unanimously approved a request from Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy for $100,000 for architect services to design affordable housing at the former Elks Lodge on School Street.

The city has been discussing plans for the property since 2022, when it was put up for sale by the Waltham/Watertown Lodge of Elks #953. The mayor earlier this month told the trustees of the Waltham Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Fund that she wanted to use trust fund money to convert the property into affordable women’s housing.

According to McCarthy, the proposed housing would utilize the existing structure, originally built in 1962, to construct both emergency shelter and dormitory-style affordable housing for women ages 55 to 65.

The proposal, McCarthy said, would be cost- and time-effective by bypassing the bidding process using a city architect and making updates to existing utilities, in a process similar to that used for the city’s renovation of the former Hardy Elementary School.

“We’re trying to create truly affordable units,” McCarthy said. 

She added that the goal of the proposed housing would be to target women who don’t yet qualify for Social Security but still cannot afford rent in the city.

The property would accommodate at least 12 dormitory units, though the final number would depend on whether the city uses the building’s first floor as an emergency shelter.