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On Tuesday, August 22nd, City and state officials gathered for a ground-breaking to officially launch construction of the $27 million five-story mixed commercial and residential building at 117 Union Street in the City’s downtown.
This development will create 45 units of mixed-income housing along with approximately 3,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space. Here is a current view of 117 Union street.
Steven Richard photo.
The project will create a mix of units at varying price points. In total, the project will offer 14 studio apartments, 21 one-bedroom apartments, and 10 two-bedroom apartments. The architectural firm Stantec designed 12 units for handicapped accessibility and the entire building incorporates high energy efficiency systems and design features.
The creation of new housing units will help alleviate our housing shortage and boost activity around Custom House Square,” said Mayor Mitchell. “Not only will this project offer dozens of New Bedford residents a great place to live, but it will create additional population density in a walkable, thriving downtown.”
State Rep. Tony Cabral, Mayor Mitchell, and several other key members of our community and this project spoke at the ground-breaking ceremony. You can watch the ceremony in its entirety here:
The American Rescue Plan was written to speed up our nation’s recovery from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, and I applaud this effort to combat the housing shortage in the City of New Bedford,” said Congressman Bill Keating. “This project will increase available housing units downtown while preserving the historic character that drives tourism to the City, which is a win for all involved. New Bedford is a leader in the Commonwealth on fighting the housing crisis, and this project is yet another example of Mayor Mitchell’s leadership in prioritizing long-term community benefits when allocating COVID-19 relief funds.”
“We are excited to see this important project get underway. We look forward to getting these 45 units on line, and point to this key groundbreaking as an example to others interested in developing housing at scale in our city: we are open for business and serious about providing attainable housing for all residents,” said the Director of the Office of Housing and Community Development, Joshua Amaral.
