Former Beverly school to be reused as affordable housing for seniors and artists

The city of Beverly held a ceremonial groundbreaking with state and local officials on March 6 at the site of a new housing project that will have 85 units for low-income seniors along with six live/work studio spaces for artists.

The 100-year-old Briscoe School, located near the downtown and closed since 2018, will be transformed into the Beverly Village for Living and the Arts.

The project was announced three years ago when the city sold the school property to Beacon Communities, a Boston real estate firm, and Harborlight Homes, a Beverly-based affordable housing nonprofit that has partnered with the city on other housing projects.

“We’re excited this milestone has taken place, and Harborlight and Beacon are now building the new homes for Beverly seniors that have been long sought at Briscoe,” said Beverly Mayor Michael Cahill at the event. “The ability for seniors to remain in Beverly, or to come to Beverly, and live in comfort and in high-quality affordable homes is something we work hard on and prioritize every day in this city.”

Once it was determined that the building would be vacated, the city formed a team to review potential uses for the school, which had a lot of architectural and sentimental value to the city, according to Planning and Development Director Darlene Wynne.

“We knew we needed more housing for seniors, and [the school building] was suitable for one bedrooms and studios,” Wynne said. “The classroom walls are so thick it became easy to convert for that use. … We had priorities for historic preservation of the building and for preservation on site.”

The $55 million project, scheduled to be completed by September 2024, will receive funding from 17 different sources, including state and federal low-income housing tax credits, historic tax credit equity, MassHousing, subsidies from the state and city, and $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act. This project is the first in the state to use ARPA funding for affordable housing.

While much of the existing structure will be rehabilitated, Wynne said, some historical features will be preserved, including the theater. In addition to apartments and artist studios, the village will have amenities for residents such as fitness spaces, a library and computer learning center.

“This high need for senior housing is not unique to Beverly,” Wynne said. “The population over 65 is growing more rapidly [than the general population], and those people are looking to leave single-family homes and downsize.

“We had done a housing needs analysis, and the need is everywhere but one need we identified was for independent living housing.”

The building will feature a number of sustainable design elements, including electric vehicle charging stations, energy-efficient lighting and heating/cooling systems, and a stormwater mitigation system. The location is walkable to the MBTA commuter rail, a local bus system and the Council on Aging.

The city is engaged in a number of affordable housing projects, including a Chapter 40R “smart growth” development at Anchor Point, also in partnership with Harborlight, with 77 affordable apartments for families, 15 of which will be set aside for homeless families, as a part of Memorandum of Understanding entered by Beverly, Salem and Peabody to increase housing for homeless families and individuals.

“Identify your partners early on who can help champion a project and build support,” Wynne said. “There is skepticism about creating new housing and the need for housing, and being able to demonstrate how big the need is is key.”