By Journal Staff
The board of the Revere Affordable Housing Trust Fund (AHTF) held its regular monthly meeting last Wednesday, August 14, in the City Council Chambers. On hand for the session were chair Joe Gravellese, vice-chair Claire Inzerillo, treasurer Anayo Osueke, Laila Pietri, Deb Frank, Lori Manzo, Matthew Wolfer, and Dean Harris.
Osueke presented the Treasurer’s report. He said the AHTF has a balance in its account of $647,454.27 The board then discussed a number of matters.
Noah Harper from J.M. Goldson Associates presented the Draft Strategic Plan to the board, which Goldson has been working on throughout the summer with the AHTF. He said that the next step is for the board to adopt the plan. The members will review the plan further, make suggestions, if any, and will take a formal vote next month.
The board briefly noted that the lottery for the 20 affordable condo units at 133 Salem St., for which the AHTF has contributed more than $600,000, was scheduled for this past Monday.
The board heard a presentation from Steve LaFerriere and Cassandra Witthaus from The Neighborhood Developers (TND), a non-profit developer that serves Chelsea, Everett, and Revere, about TND’s project in conjunction with North Suffolk Community Services at 110 Ocean Ave. TND, which owns 650 homes for low-income households in this area, has received approval over the past two years from the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Conservation Commission for the project, which will involve demolishing the existing structure and replacing it with a new, seven-story building with parking at ground level.
The new building will include a group living component (which exists in the current building) for eight residents, consisting of two, 4-bedroom units; 5000 sq. ft. of office space for No. Suffolk’s staff; and 48 affordable rental units (12 one-bedroom units, 30 two-BR units, and six three-BR units) on the upper floors.
The units will consist of a mix of 30% and 50% of area median income (AMI) apartments. Subsidies from the state will assist with the construction costs, which total about $40 million. There will be preference (70% of the units) for Revere residents with a lottery to determine the applicants who are awarded the units. The expected construction start date is June 15, 2025, with a completion date of February 15, 2027.
The board voted to approve the local first-time homebuyer downpayment assistance program to which the state awarded a $25,000 grant, a figure that the AHTF matched with an additional $25,000 last fall. Community Development Planner Lorena Escolero from the city’s Planning Dept. informed the board that the city has adopted guidelines for the application process, which she said was ready to get underway this past Monday. The program will award grants of up to $5000 to eligible first-time home-buyers in the city who have been Revere residents for at least two years.
The board also discussed moving forward with the disposition of city-owned tax-title properties with an eye toward developing affordable housing on the sites. Escolero said the city has issued an RFP for marketing and brokerage services and has received two applications.
