Proposal to Develop Underutilized Site in Holyoke Wins 2024 Housing Competition

The competition drew five entries from groups of graduate students interested in architecture, real estate, planning, finance, and policy who teamed up with local affordable housing organizations. 

The winning proposal, High Street Homes, was presented by a student team from Clark University, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and Wentworth Institute of Technology, in collaboration with Way Finders, ICON Architecture, and finance mentor Eastern Bank.  

The initiative aims to create five buildings with 86 rental homes, rooftop amenities, first-floor community-centered commercial space, 10,890 square feet of communal green space, and a 3,300-square-foot daycare center. The development proposal features top-tier sustainable energy and water management systems. Room is set aside for gathering spaces in each building, cooking and seating areas on rooftops, and communal lounge space for residents. 

“Our project is committed to incorporating the values of Holyoke into every aspect of our design and addressing the needs of tenants through sustainable and inclusive practices to ensure decades of safe and loved homes,” according to the team’s proposal. 

The winning team and developer shared the $10,000 first-place prize.

“We commend the students for submitting proposals that demonstrate creativity and thoughtful design. If built, these initiatives would breathe new life into vacant properties, contribute to the vibrancy of local communities, and provide much-need affordable housing for renters and homeowners that are being squeezed out of the market,” said Kenneth Willis, senior vice president, director of housing and community investment at Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston). “Thank you to the sponsors and mentors who devoted their time and resources to ensure the success of this year’s competition.” 

The competition was sponsored by FHLBank Boston, Boston Society for Architecture, CohnReznick, Kuehn Charitable Foundation, ICON Architecture Inc., and Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association. 

The competition was judged by Anne Berman of Rhode Island Housing; Rawn Duncan of Citizens Bank; David Eisen of Abacus Architects + Planners; Peter Freeman of Freeman Law Group LLC; Emily Jones of LISC; Judy O’Connor of Chelmsford Housing Authority, David Pollak of Abacus Architects + Planners; and Danyson Tavares of YouthBuild Boston. 

Awards were also presented for:

•  Second place: The Nest is an adaptive reuse of a vacant nursing home into a mixed-income, mixed-tenured initiative that offers affordable rental units to seasonal workers and year-round residents in the Cape Cod community of Falmouth, Massachusetts. The team included students from Boston Architectural College, Harvard University, and MIT, who collaborated with Barone Galasso & Associates and HousingNOW.
  
  
• Third place: Newcombe Pointe and Campanella Landing which proposes to develop two underutilized sites in Nashua, New Hampshire, into 40 new affordable apartments and four homes for first-time homebuyers along with 4,600 square feet of green space. The development proposal was driven by students from Harvard University, MIT, and University of Massachusetts at Amherst, in collaboration with NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire.