The colors of the new affordable-housing townhouse complex in Pawtucket’s Broad Street neighborhood – crisp, bright reds, blues and greens – do not mix well with the gray, faded surroundings.
But that’s very much on purpose.
Developers and city officials say the Pawtucket Citizens Development Corporation’s $4 million, 14-condominum affordable housing complex, built with sustainable elements, is another step toward that “neglected” neighborhood’s revival.
For Mayor James E. Doyle, the Barton Street area is part of a statewide “desperate” need for quality affordable housing. “I know that this area still has problems, but I also know that if we work together we can make the Barton Street neighborhood an affordable, safe and attractively vibrant area.”
In the past 10 years, the PCDC has funneled $14 million on projects in the Barton Street neighborhood.
Named for PCDC President Nancy Callaghan, the townhouse development is squeezed between Barton Street and the Amtrak tracks. The .59-acre parcel is set to be capped off with a “Tot Lot” public playground, for which the PCDC is selling engraved bricks.
New Ecology Inc., a Cambridge-based consultant, worked with the developers and Ed Wojcik Architect Ltd., to create more “green” and energy-efficient housing. The sustainable elements include bamboo hardwood flooring, drought-tolerant plantings and grass, low-energy appliances and a concrete-based siding with a high insulation rating, said Kim Hadley, senior project manager with PCDC.
“From Energy Star, all these homes have a five-star plus rating, which means that the homeowners will save about 30 percent on their energy bills,” Hadley said.
Since the PCDC’s formation in 1990, the group has helped develop 85 affordable rental units and 14 single-family homes in Pawtucket. The Callaghan Gardens units, with two- and three-bedroom condos available, range from 920 square feet to 1,350 square feet. Two-bedroom units cost $145,500 and three-bedroom units are priced at $163,500.
U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who was on hand for the official ribbon-cutting, said renovations that bring first-time homebuyers into areas such as Barton Street are a positive step toward lowering criminal activity and keeping drugs out of that neighborhood.
And, he said, affordable housing is becoming increasingly necessary.
“This is not just about having a roof over your head. It’s the American dream, which unfortunately for many is becoming an American nightmare [with] so many families … being foreclosed upon,” Kennedy said.
Callaghan Gardens was funded through Pawtucket’s HOME Investment Partnership Program, the Rhode Island office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the R.I. Housing Resources Commission, Rhode Island Housing and Bank of America.
“These buildings are only the physical evidence of a community being rebuilt and reborn,” said Richard Godfrey, Rhode Island Housing executive director. “We have always said that housing is more than four walls – it’s not about the housing. It’s about the homes, the people within and the community.”
Doyle – along with Kennedy – also got in a word about the potential for a nearby commuter rail stop that would further enhance the Barton Street neighborhood. That would “directly link this neighborhood to employment opportunities in Boston or the excitement of travel opportunities at T.F. Green Airport,” Doyle said. •
