HUD Acting Secretary Breaks Ground on Cambridge Affordable Housing Project

U.S. Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman broke ground alongside state and local officials on a Jefferson Park housing revitalization project in a Wednesday ceremony.

The groundbreaking initiated a federally funded project by HUD and the Cambridge Housing Authority to develop 278 affordable housing units in Jefferson Park — replacing 175 existing units and adding 103 new units across two phases.

The affordable housing will be allocated to previous Jefferson Park tenants and new households earning less than 60 percent of the area median income, with HUD funds subsidizing costs to lower the average rent to $650 per month. Beyond housing, the revitalization will include community amenities such as a daycare center, two Head Start schools, and a food pantry operated by Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee.

Wednesday’s ceremony ended a decade of planning, with construction now projected to last two to three years, CHA leasing officer Carianna Williams said.

The new units — ranging from 625 to 2,079 square feet — will be a significant upgrade from the original red brick buildings that were demolished for the project.

The original buildings were “constructed in the 1950s on some of the least desirable land in the city,” said Michael Johnston, the executive director of the CHA. “The apartments were in very poor condition and suffered from multiple problems, of which water infiltration from groundwater is the most detrimental.”

“This led to extensive mold and mildew, particularly in 57 of the apartments — and in 2018, those units were deemed by staff to be unlivable,” Johnston added.

Though a CHA staff member initially said that not all previous Jefferson Park residents would be able to return to the new development, Johnston clarified in a Thursday email that “every resident in good standing that was relocated out of the old Jefferson Park has an absolute right of return.”

In an interview with The Crimson, Todman praised Cambridge as a “role model” for its approach to preserving and building affordable housing.

Todman said that the CHA’s initiative in self-developing and managing affordable housing stands out compared to other cities’ housing authorities.

She praised the “level of coordination and collaboration” between local and state governments that made the Jefferson Park project possible.

“Mayor Simmons was there, who spoke highly about this project. The city manager was there. The City Council was there. Leadership from the state was there,” she added.

During the Wednesday ceremony, Todman emphasized the important role of federal funding in creating affordable housing nationwide.

“Hopes and dreams don’t build housing, money does,” she said.

Following the Cambridge ceremony, Todman and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 announced a $3.28 million HUD loan to improve the Mei Wah Village — an HUD-managed apartment complex in Boston’s Chinatown primarily for older residents.

Officials also shared at the ceremony their personal stories growing up in local public housing projects.

“Four of the elected officials in Cambridge either grew up or lived in public housing,” Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said. “Councilor Siddiqui and myself included, all grew up in public housing.”

Corrections: October 3, 2024

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the new affordable units will be available to households earning less than 30 percent of the area median income. In fact, the units will be available to previous Jefferson Park tenants and households earning less than 60 percent of the area median income.

Due to incorrect information provided by a CHA staff member, a previous version of this article incorrectly stated that not all previous Jefferson Park residents would be able to return to the new development. In fact, all former residents will be able to return.

—Staff writer Madeline E. Proctor can be reached at maddie.proctor@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.