Beverly, State Officials Break Ground On Downtown Housing

BEVERLY, MA – Gov. Charlie Baker, Mayor Michael Cahill, and other officials formally broke ground on 67 mixed-income, transit-oriented rental housing rental units adjacent to the Beverly Depot Commuter Rail station and garage.

The formerly vacant site on a MBTA-owned parcel will include 16 workforce housing units priced for middle-income households, representing the first major shovel-ready redevelopment property under the Baker-Polito Administration’s "Open for Business" Real Estate Asset Leveraging (REAL) Strategy and an investment of MassHousing’s $100 million Workforce Housing Initiative, announced last year as a commitment to the creation of up to 1,000 new workforce housing units.

"Across Massachusetts, our administration is breaking ground on unused state property to build stronger communities and drive local economic growth," said Governor Charlie Baker. "This new development will transform a vacant parcel at a commuter rail station into a promising new transit-oriented housing community for working families. We look forward to continuing to partner with communities, and the private sector, to unlock growth, create new jobs, and build the housing Massachusetts residents need to prosper."

Baker and Cahill were joined by Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash, MBTA Acting General Manager Brian Shortsleeve, MassHousing Executive Director Tim Sullivan, and the real estate development firm Barnat Development. Barnat Development’s 112 Rantoul Street brings new mixed-income rental housing and commercial space to Beverly’s downtown. Construction on the $22.4 million project is expected to be completed in July 2018.

"The Barnat Development on Rantoul Street is a great example of a successful partnership between the Commonwealth, the developer, and the community to bring a well designed transit oriented development (TOD) to our downtown," said Cahill. "TOD projects revitalize downtowns creating much needed work force and market rate housing while supporting downtown businesses, employers, and providing easy access to the train."

Image via Gov. Charlie Baker's Office