Healey Administration issues $161 million to create 18,000+ new Massachusetts housing units including 111 in 2 Fall River projects

WORCESTER – Today, Governor Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao and Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus announced more than $161 million for 313 grant awards to support local economic development projects in 171 communities across the state. The awards were made through the Community One Stop for Growth, an application portal overseen by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) that provides a streamlined process for municipalities and organizations to apply for 12 state grant programs that fund economic development projects related to planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, infrastructure, and housing development.   

The grants were announced during a kickoff celebration in Worcester at the site of the Greendale Revitalization project, which is a recipient of an award through the MassWorks grant program, one of the largest programs in the One Stop.  

“We are proud to be a state of strong cities and towns, made stronger by programs like the Community One Stop for Growth, which deliver the resources our communities need to grow their local economies and meet the needs of their residents,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Communities will use these grants to build more housing and lower costs, improve road safety, revitalize their downtowns, create new jobs and more. We can’t wait to see the results of these investments all across the state.” 

“The One Stop is an important vehicle for supporting our communities by empowering them to pursue their vision for economic growth,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “By working together and keeping our focus at the local level, we are creating opportunity, supporting affordability, and enhancing quality of life for all of our residents.”   

Through this round of the One Stop, EOED received 756 applications from 510 organizations with projects in 229 communities across the state. Of the 313 applications awarded, 33 percent are located in a rural or small town, 32 percent are located in a Gateway City, 48 percent are located in a Housing Choice Community, and 50 percent are located in an MBTA Community. 40 communities are receiving a grant through the One Stop for the first time. 

EOED estimates the One Stop awards will help create more than 18,000 new units of housing, including 4,000 new affordable units, 31,000 new permanent jobs, and more than 14 million square feet of new commercial development. 

Among the grants is $558,400 to the Durfee Trust Limited Partnership which will use the grant to redevelop 80-84 North Main Street, a 19,400-square-foot commercial building in downtown Fall River, into 22 1-bedroom units of market-rate housing. The building was built in 1887, and the total project is estimated to cost $8.4 million.

MassCan Capital LLC received $250,000 which will be used towards the adaptive reuse of 98,190 square feet of Globe Yarn Mills at 460 Globe Street into 89 market-rate studio, one, two, and three-bedroom units. The mill was built in 1881 and has a project completion timeframe of 2027. The building currently houses Rack ‘Em Up Billiards and the Globe Street Flea Market.