Arlington Wins Affordable Housing Grant

ARLINGTON, MA — Arlington was selected for a $320,000 Community Scale Housing Initiative grant for the development and construction of nine new affordable rental housing units in town.

The idea is that 20 Westminster will be a nine-unit project, sponsored by the Housing Corporation of Arlington, and will provide affordable rental housing to low-income and extremely low-income households. The project has been in the works for years and is estimated to cost around $2.7 million.

But Senator Cindy Friedman applauded the news of the grant.

“I am thrilled that our community has been awarded this grant to help increase the availability of affordable housing in Arlington,” said Friedman. “As we know, there is a real need right now in our state for greater housing options for middle- and low-income families. This grant, combined with federal funding and generous local support through Community Preservation Act funds, will help us to do that in Arlington and will greatly benefit families in our community.”

The Community Scale Housing Initiative is a joint pilot initiative of the Department of Housing and Community Development and MassHousing, providing funding for affordable housing projects in municipalities with a population of no more than 200,000.

The Town of Arlington is supporting the development of 20 Westminster through $500,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds, $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and $1.35 million in funds secured from the North Shore HOME Consortium. Four of the units at the project will be affordable to households earning less than 30 percent of area median income.

There are two low income housing apartment complexes containing 157 affordable apartments for rent in Arlington, according to Affordable Housing Online's website. The Arlington Housing Authority owns and operates 175 units of affordable family housing, and roughly 500 units of affordable elderly housing for residents older than 60.