BOSTON — WinnCos. has broken ground on Phase I of the redevelopment of the Mary Ellen McCormack (MEM) public housing project in Boston. Activity will kick off with the construction of a $62 million building known as Building A. This ground-up construction will provide new homes to the 94 low-income families currently living in the community. WinnCos. says Building A move-ins will occur in fall 2026.
Once complete, the revamped 30-acre MEM community will include 3,300 rental homes, effectively tripling the number of units currently available. Along with Building A, WinnCos. also will deliver $8 million in public infrastructure improvements, including a new park. A seniors housing community and YMCA are additional project highlights, as is a program allowing residents to gain an ownership stake in the new apartments. MEM was built during the Great Depression and opened in 1938.
The redevelopment will replace all 1,016 public housing units on the site, and current residents in good standing will have a right to return. Existing buildings will be demolished in phases. The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) will retain ownership of the land to preserve permanent affordability for low-income families while management, ownership and maintenance of the buildings will be provided by WinnCos.
All phases of the development are dubbed “mixed income,” but specific income restrictions were not disclosed. According to the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) website, tenants pay 32 percent of their adjusted income to live in BHA-run communities.
Once Building A is completed, financing will be secured for, and construction will begin on, Building B, which will offer 300 mixed-income apartments. Building C will follow with 196 mixed-income apartments, 172 of which will be reserved for seniors who are 62 or older with on-site resident services and programming. In all, eight new residential buildings will be built over the course of a decade.