Construction To Begin On Newton Senior Housing Development

NEWTON, MA — Construction will begin on a senior housing complex in Newton next week. Developer 2Life Communities is breaking ground on a middle-income housing option, Opus Newton.

The new housing development will be connected to 2Life's Coleman House on the Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston's campus and feature 174 residences for those 62 years and older.

Ninety-five percent of Opus' housing inventory has been pre-sold, allowing for construction to begin a year early, according to a statement.

The groundbreaking will take place outside Coleman House at 677 Winchester St. Monday morning. The public is invited to a ceremony starting at 10 a.m. featuring speeches by local leaders at the JCC Auditorium at 333 Nahanton St.

The new housing development is part of "a model that can help address the dearth of senior housing options for middle income seniors, an issue projected to get worse over the next decade, a group often referred to as 'the forgotten middle,'" according to the statement.

A 2019 analysis by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that there will be 16 million middle-income seniors in 2033, many of whom will struggle to pay for essential services like health, personal care, and housing. Nearly three-quarters of middle-income seniors are anticipated to have insufficient financial resources to pay for assisted living.

Prices to live at Opus Newton start in the low $400,000s, according to the company's website.