Affordable housing projects in Northampton and Easthampton are receiving a combined $5 million from the state as part of efforts to decarbonize affordable housing and make it sustainable throughout the commonwealth.
The money comes from the first round of the Affordable Housing Deep Energy Retrofit Grant Program, which the state created early in Gov. Maura Healey’s administration. The program retrofits existing low- or moderate-income residential buildings to make them more sustainable, such as through installation of solar panels or switching from gas to electric power.
Of the $27 million awarded by the state, $2 million will go to Valley Community Development Corp. for its plans to redevelop a former Northampton nursing home on Bridge Road into 60 affordable apartments called Prospect Place. The money awarded Tuesday will be used to install a ground source heat pump system and a 300-kilowatt solar system.
The 6.2-acre former Northampton Rehabilitation and Nursing Center at 737 Bridge Road was purchased in April 2021 for $1.9 million by the Pointer Fund and Pointer Development, based in Miami and run by Amalfi Gayosso, a UMass Amherst alumna with ties to Northampton. The development group then partnered with Valley CDC to form a joint venture called Prospect Place Owner LLC. Valley CDC is serving as the majority owner and managing partner for the $27 million project.
