Mass. Housing Investment Corp.'s Director of Capital Development Peter Sargent, state Sen. Benjamin Downing, Mayor Daniel Bianchi, Project Manager Charlie Dirac, POAH CEO Aaron Gornstein, POAH's Managing Director Rodger Brown, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, and MassHousing Deputy Director for Finance and Rental Progreams Timothy Sullivan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There is a shortage statewide for subsidized housing and Berkshire County is no different.

Now more than 101 affordable housing units eyed for low-income residents have been saved with the recent $16 million investment in two city apartment complexes.

The nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing celebrated the completion of renovations to the Central Annex and Union Court apartments on Monday morning.

 

"[Central Annex] was at risk of being converted with a loss of the subsidized units," said the non-profit's CEO Aaron Gornstein on Monday when the companies joined state and local officials.

 

"It is a gem of a property. We will be here for the long term."

 

The annex abuts the newly renovated First Street Common. The historic building was constructed in 1895 as the city's first high school.

 

Pittsfield High School was built on East Street some 40 years later and Central Annex went through a series of uses, including as a middle school and the state's first community college.

 

Union Court, just a few blocks away, was constructed in 1905 as the Berkshire Motel. In 1980, both properties were turned into housing for elderly, low-income, and disabled residents by Pittsfield Neighborhood Associates, and managed by Berkshire Housing. Central Annex has 62 units and Union Court 39.

 

"You don't see this kind of architecture anymore. You don't see this craftsmanship," said Mayor Daniel Bianchi of the historic buildings.

 

POAH purchased the buildings in 2007 and, over the last 18 months, made renovations included new roofs, windows, doors, unit improvements, plumbing, heating and cooling systems, and fire suppression. The units will continue to serve the low-income and disabled population through Section 8 housing.

 

"The combination of affordable housing and market-rate housing is making our community special and vibrant," Bianchi said, citing a number of other market-rate housing projects recently completed in the city's downtown.

 

POAH officials said the project wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for loans from MassHousing: $4.5 million in low-income housing tax credits, and $1.75 million from the state's Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is managed by the state Department of Housing and Community Development.

 

According to Timothy Sullivan, deputy director for finance and rental programs with MassHousing, the agency finances some $1.2 billion in projects statewide each year. This recent renovation is part of 16 projects in Berkshire County preserving or creating 725 affordable housing units. He said the Affordable Housing Trust Fund has helped save 25,000 units in the last 15 years.

 

POAH's Managing Director Rodger Brown vowed to be a partner with the city for the long term.

Massachusetts Housing Investment Corp. also partnered with POAH for the project to administer the low-income tax credits, which were bought by TD Bank. That nonprofit is a consortium of banks aimed to attract developers for affordable housing projects.

 

"It's all about the people at the end of the day. That's why we do what we do," said Peter Sargent, director of capital development with the Mass Housing Investment Corp. 

 

For state Sen. Benjamin Downing, the Central Annex renovation is a sign of hope. He said while the city has seen "up and downs" throughout time, that building continued to stand "through the test of time."

 

The new investment is helping the city preserve neighborhoods in which people of all types can be part of a community, he said.

 

"It is another piece in the puzzle in making sure Pittsfield is all we believe it can be," Downing said.

 

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said the renovation is more than just providing housing, what happens inside the building is what that matters. That includes bringing access to needed services such as mental health or financial literacy to the residents.

 

"We're making sure the services are based right there in the building," Farley-Bouvier said. "We're going to address poverty one family at a time."

 

Rodger Brown, managing director for real estate development with POAH, credited teamwork with completing the project and vowed to be long-term partners with the city of Pittsfield.