WESTFORD — Ground has broken on an affordable housing project on Boston Road.
A groundbreaking for the Drew Farmhouse project at 70 Boston Rd. was held on May 31.
Stakeholders, such as the Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell Sheilagh Carlisle, shared their support for the renovation project.
“You are standing inside this beautiful barn, it was built in 1865 and we are going to be converting this into two units of housing,” said Carlisle in the opening ceremony.
The income-restricted units will be sold to two different families in the community and will be sold with a zero-interest 30-year mortgage, according to Carlisle. Carlisle said two “Habitat eligible” families — those who meet income requirements, could be chosen within the next few months either through a lottery or a first come, first served basis.
Director of Land Use Management Jeffrey Morrissette said that these two three-bedroom units are some of the “most needed kinds of housing” in Westford. The three-bedroom units will provide homeownership opportunities for residents.
“It does provide for homeownership, a lot of the options we’re getting now are more rentals. This is checking all the boxes. We think this is a win, win, win for our community,” Morrissette said.
Habitat for Humanity’s project is in partnership with The Drew Farmhouse, Inc., a non-profit led by resident Ellen Harde, which seeks to create five workforce housing units in the adjacent farmhouse.
The project, which received $1.45 million in Community Preservation Act funding during an October 2022 Special Town Meeting, aims to retain the historic character of the building while giving additional opportunities for low and middle-income residents to live in Westford.
“It’s wonderful to drive by and see the progress and see it not looking sad and dilapidated and neglected, but see it really come back to life,” Cheryl Major, treasurer for The Drew Farmhouse, Inc., said.
Director of Construction at Habitat for Humanity, John Maslowski is overseeing construction for the project. He discussed the challenges of taking a 200 hundred-year-old barn and turning it into two affordable condos.
Maslowski explained that the process involved a lot of framing and work to create a flat surface from which to build. The barn also needed new footings in the basement and a new floor system.
Maslowski said the team will work to build two new staircases, stacked kitchens and bathrooms, and heat pump technology. The team will also work to restore the outside of the building addressing signs of rot or damage.
Construction is slated to continue through this spring and summer. Maslowski said construction could be completed as early as March 2025, with units ready to occupy by late spring 2025.
Maslowski said volunteers are needed for construction, including the nonprofit’s annual Women Build from June 15-22. Prospective volunteers can sign up online.
Special thanks were given to sponsor NETSCOUT, volunteers from YouthBuild Lowell, and resident Nancy Cook who organized the groundbreaking ceremony.
