SALEM, Mass. — MassDevelopment has awarded $80,500 from the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund to North Shore Community Development Coalition Inc. (North Shore CDC) to perform environmental site assessments on four parcels in the Point neighborhood in Salem.
North Shore CDC will collaborate with North Shore Community Health (NSCH) to build the South River Revitalization Project at the site, which will include a 50-unit affordable seniors housing facility and nonprofit center featuring a health center, NSCH administrative offices and office space for other area nonprofits.
The parcels are situated at the entrance to the Point neighborhood and include parking lots that have been vacant for more than 10 years and a mix of underutilized commercial and retail properties situated in one building. A significant portion of that building will be demolished, while a current tenant, North Shore Bank, will remain at the development.
“Community development corporations and other nonprofits have been pivotal to the Commonwealth’s efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and increase affordable housing and other services in urban areas across the state,” says Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “Administered by MassDevelopment, the Brownfields Redevelopment Fund provides these organizations with the capital they need to carry out necessary site assessment and remediation activities that prepare challenging sites for redevelopment.”
North Shore CDC will manage the affordable housing facility upon completion. The units will be rented to residents earning up to 50 percent of the area median income ($47,000 for a one-person household) and up to 30 percent of the area median income ($28,200 for a one-person household).