By Dan Murphy
Via the fourth round of funding allocated through its Climate Ready Housing program, the Healey-Driscoll administration has awarded $1 million to the Planning Office for Urban Affairs for the ‘deep energy retrofit’ of The Guild House in Kenmore Square.
The proposed 100-percent affordable project at 20 Charlesgate West, made possible via a partnership between the city’s Planning Office for Urban Affairs and the nonprofit Fenway Forward (formerly the Fenway CDC [Community Development Corporation]), entails the complete renovation and modernization of a six-story, 140-room lodging house into an 86-unit rental building. The unit mix would comprise include 22 enhanced permanent supportive housing Single Room Occupancy (‘SRO’) apartments, 45 studio apartments, and 19 one-bedroom apartments.
The scope of the project entails full electrification, resilience measures, and supportive services, resulting in a 54-percent annual site energy use reduction, according to the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities.
“We are grateful to the Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities, Massachusetts Housing Partnership, MassHousing, and LISC, for their support of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs and Fenway Forward through the Climate Ready Housing program,” said Bill Grogan, president of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, and Suneeth John, deputy director/head of real estate for Fenway Forward, in a joint statement. “This funding award will support the decarbonization and energy retrofit at The Guild House in Fenway that will provide supportive rental housing for low- to moderate-income individuals.”
The Healey-Driscoll Administration’s 2024 Affordable Homes Act increased annual Climate Ready Housing funding tenfold from the program’s earlier pilot rounds, resulting in $20.5 million available for this fourth round.
“This program allows us to upgrade affordable housing units across the state to reduce energy usage, lower bills and improve public health,” said Gov. Maura Healey in a statement. “Together with the Legislature, we’ve increased the number of homes we are able to upgrade, and I know that residents will see the positive impacts of this investment.”