Capitol Square Apartments Ribbon Cutting

On the morning of December 12, HCA was pleased to celebrate the completion of its Capitol Square Apartments building, 258 Massachusetts Avenue, the first of three buildings on the property that will hold 32 affordable units upon completion this winter. 100 HCA supporters came out to celebrate and listen to speakers including Arlington Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine, Cedric Kam from U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development, Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development’s Undersecretary of Housing Aaron Gornstein, Peter Sargent from Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation, Gregory Bowe from Cambridge Savings Bank, Tony Fracasso from MassDevelopment and Eastern Bank’s President, Robert Rivers.  Cambridge Savings Bank sponsored the morning’s festivities, and the event concluded with the guests touring the completed units. 

Mark Lesses, HCA’s Vice President and Vice President of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, started the morning off by welcoming the crowd and discussing the significance of the units, “Capitol Square Apartments is HCA’s largest project yet and the first Arlington property to receive low-income housing tax credits from Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development.”

Units will be affordable in perpetuity serving low-income households at or below 60% of area median income. The buildings offer a mix of apartment sizes: 6 studio units, 17 one-bedroom units and 9 two-bedroom units with 32 units overall.

Bus service is available at the front door and many retail and other services are within walking distance.  “With a bus stop right out front,” stated Undersecretary Gornstein, “This is the true meaning of transit-oriented development!”

In an elegant benediction over the building, Pastor Christine Elliott of Calvary Church gave thanks, “…for the dream which made this day possible and the patience and tenacity which have brought it to life; for the tireless work and dedication, day in and day out, of HCA staff and Board members; for the partnership and teamwork of public and private sectors and for all who have advocated and contributed money, time and heart; for the support of this community and a town that cares for all persons; for the workers who have given their strength and skill to this project…”

For more photos, please check out our Facebook page!

Celebrate the Holidays with HCA's Ribbon Cutting!

Celebrate the holidays with an affordable housing gift to the Arlington community at our

 Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for 

Capitol Square Apartments Project!

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

8:30 AM

258 Mass Avenue

Arlington, MA 02474

Light refreshments will be served.

Kindly RSVP to Joanna at  
jain@housingcorparlington.org or 781-316-3606.

Capitol Square Apartments Project Funders
Town of Arlington
Brookline Bank
Cambridge Savings Bank
Eastern Bank
Massachusetts A­ffordable Housing Trust Fund
Massachusetts Department of Housing and  Community Development
Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
MassDevelopment
North Suburban Consortium HOME Program
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

An additional thank you to our
Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Sponsor,
Cambridge Savings Bank!

Capitol Square Apartments Project Closing Announcement!

Housing Corporation of Arlington (HCA) is pleased to announce closing on our Capitol Square Apartments Project, the first Arlington property to receive low-income housing tax credits from the Massachusetts Dept. of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).  

“Capitol Square Apartments Project  is HCA’s most exciting endeavor yet,” states Paul Parravano, HCA Board President, “In size, scope of work, diversity of funding, location—it all adds up to a monumental achievement for HCA and our supporters.”

The acquisition and redevelopment of these properties required a complex mix of both private and public financing, including Community Development Block Grant funds from the Town of Arlington, local HOME Program funds, state Affordable Housing Trust Funds, stabilization funds through DHCD, low-income housing tax credits (4%), tax-exempt bond financing through Eastern Bank, state and federal historic tax credits with investors Brookline Bank and Cambridge Savings Bank, and HUD funding through the McKinney-Vento Program.  The total cost of this venture is approximately $11 million.

Applications are currently available on the HCA website, at the HCA office, and at the Robbins Library.  Applications must be postmarked by noon on November 1 to be eligible for the lottery on November 7. The units will start renting to new tenants this winter. 

Capitol Square Apartments: How to Apply

As we transition from summer to fall, you will begin to notice quite a few changes around Capitol Square Apartments. The Capitol Square team is working to close our construction loan so the renovation can begin. Within weeks, you will all begin to notice workers on site and hear the sounds of the transformation of this historic property.

Anyone who is interested in applying for an apartment at Capitol Square can obtain an application at Housing Corporation of Arlington offices, the Robbins Library in Arlington Center or Peabody Properties in Braintree. The application is also available online. You must complete a new application even if you are currently on HCA’s waiting list.

Some more dates to remember: On September 13, we will conduct infor­mational sessions to explain the lottery process. Those will be held at 4 PM and 6 PM on the first floor of the Arlington Senior Center at 27 Maple Street in Arlington Center. We will accept applications until October 31. Then, on November 7 at 2 PM, we will conduct the lottery on the first floor of the Arlington Senior Center. Peabody Properties will process applications selected on that date and notify the applicants. If there are not enough qualifying applicants identified from the initial lottery, additional applications will be drawn until all the apartments are leased.

We are very excited about the progress we’re making at Capitol Square--Stay tuned for more updates!

Treasurer Grossman to be at 2012 Annual Meeting!

Exciting news...Don't Forget to RSVP!

Join HCA friends and supporters at our

2012 Annual Meeting

Keynote Speaker,

State Treasurer Steve Grossman

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Tango

464 Massachusetts Avenue 

Arlington Center

7:30 AM Registration & Breakfast

8:15 AM Program

Kindly RSVP to Joanna at jain@housingcorparlington.org or 781-316-3606 by Tuesday, October 9, 2012.

Say Farewell to David & Welcome to Pam!

Celebrate with us

Say Farewell to David and
Welcome to Pam! 

David J. Levy has been serving low-income households in Arlington for 8 years as HCA's Executive Director.  We are saddened to say goodbye to our good friend, David, but delighted to celebrate HCA's accomplishments throughout his tenure. Through his tireless efforts, David has been a key player in putting HCA on the map. 

At the same time, we look forward to introducing our new Executive Director, Pamela Hallett!

Sunday, June 24, 2012

3:00 to 5:00 PM

Tryst

689 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served.  There will be a cash bar.

A suggested donation to the Housing Corporation of Arlington of $25 per guest in David' s honor will help HCA continue our homelessness prevention and affordable housing work in Arlington and surrounding communities.  

RSVP by June 18, 2012 to Joanna Ain at 781.316.3606 or jain@housingcorparlington.org. 

Welcome, Pam!

HCA is pleased to announce that Pamela Hallett will be joining the organization as its new Executive Director. Pam comes to the position with over 25 years of affordable housing and community development experience.

Her past experience includes 20 years with her own development/consulting firm which specialized in affordable housing.  The firm developed more than 1,500 units of housing, securing more than $100 million in construction and permanent financing.  It provided expertise in tax credits, financing, planning, construction monitoring, energy conservation and negotiations. 

Most recently, Pam was the Neighborhood Stabilization Program Manager for The Community Builders, Inc. where she managed the $78 million loan program funded by HUD to revitalize and stabilize neighborhoods in nine states and the District of Columbia.  In addition, Pam has served on a variety of boards and committees of non-profit organizations over the years, including the Chicago Low Income Housing Trust Fund, DevCorp North, Windy City Habitat for Humanity, Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing, and the Greater Illinois People’s Cooperative. 

Pam has deep Arlington roots.  Her maternal grandparents moved to Arlington from Newton in 1932.  And although Pam grew up in Bedford, her parents returned to Arlington in 1984. Pam now lives in the Heights.

“On behalf of HCA’s board and staff, we are truly excited to have Pam on board,” said HCA Board President, Paul Parravano, “Her energy, enthusiasm and wealth of affordable housing knowledge are exactly what we were looking for in order to move Housing Corporation of Arlington into its next phase of growth. We’re so grateful to HCA Board Member, Mark Lesses, and his committee members for their diligence, thoughtfulness and many hours of hard work to find our next Executive Director.”

You can reach Pamela Hallett at 781-316-3429 and phallett@housingcorparlington.org.