New elderly affordable housing units planned for Wollaston

Jun 5

If everything goes to plan, Wollaston will have 94 new affordable housing units for elderly Quincy residents in the next few years, developers told a community meeting at Central Middle School on June 5. I attended the meeting after seeing a Facebook post about it by Ward 5 Councilor Dan Minton earlier today.

*Residents ask questions about a new elderly affordable housing building planned for a lot behind 80 Clay Street*

Below are my notes (and some additional web research):

The new seven-story structure would be built on an empty lot behind the existing 12-story elderly housing high-rise known as Tobin Towers at 80 Clay Street. The Quincy Housing Authority, which operates low-income public housing at 10 city properties, would lease the land to The Peabody Companies to develop.

*A photograph of one of the project slides; more information will be made available at the June 25 planning board meeting*

Each 620-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment in the proposed building would be assigned by lottery to applicants who are at least 62 years old and whose income falls between 30% and 80% of the median income in the area, which for a single person would range from about $35,000 to $93,000 per year. Most of the units will be reserved for those making about 60% of the area median income, or about $70,000 per year.

The development would take 94 people off the waiting list for affordable housing, which numbers in the tens of thousands across the state, said James Marathas, executive director of the Quincy Housing Authority. A few years ago, it took between 8 and 15 years to get off the waiting list, he said, later telling me that those waits had only gotten longer.

Developers said the all-electric building will include shade trees and plantings to act as privacy screens and will be wheelchair accessible. To ease traffic concerns, the developers said the driveway on Clay Street would be an entrance only, with cars exiting on Wentworth Road.

The proposed project will go before the planning board on Wednesday, June 25, at 6 pm, and residents were encouraged to raise any questions and concerns at that public meeting (first floor of Old City Hall). The planning board will likely discuss the project again (with another opportunity for public comment) in August, and then the proposal will move on to the zoning board for approval. If developers then secure the required funding, construction could potentially start in early 2027.