Team of UMass Amherst Students Earn Top Prize of $10,000 from Affordable Housing Development Competition for Proposal to Develop Underutilized Site in Holyoke
Third Place Prize Awarded to Team of UMass Amherst Students for Nashua, N.H. Proposal
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A team of UMass Amherst students, in collaboration with students from Clark University, and Wentworth Institute of Technology, received a first-place prize of $10,000 in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston (FHLBank Boston) 24th Annual Affordable Housing Development Competition. The winning proposal, called High Street Homes, aims to transform 10 underutilized parcels of land in Holyoke, Mass., into a mixed-use development of residential homes and communal green space.
The team included Master of Architecture (MArch) students Jason Soares de Carvalho, Zahra Shah Mohammady, and Michael Chancellor, also a dual Master of Landscape Architecture student, as well as undergraduate students in the Isenberg School of Management Henry Schwarz, a finance major, and Samuel Hinrichs, a management major.
Stephen Schreiber, chair of the Department of Architecture, said, “We are proud of this student team, which looked at issues of affordable housing in nearby Holyoke. The UMass students came from three colleges at UMass, and worked effectively with each other and with the community partners.”
The High Street Homes 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. Space 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,” the team’s proposal read.
Led by a UMass Amherst MArch and Master of Business Administration (MBA) alumnus John Gilbert, the students collaborated with Way Finders, ICON Architecture, and finance mentor Eastern Bank to complete their proposal. The winning team and developer shared the monetary 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,” says Kenneth Willis, senior vice president and director of housing and community investment at 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 third-place prize went to Newcombe Pointe and Campanella Landing, also created by a team including UMass Amherst students. It proposes to develop two underutilized sites in Nashua, N.H., 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 created by UMass Amherst students Mia Waters and Viraja Bhosale, both MArch, in collaboration with students from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire.
This year’s Affordable Housing Development Competition drew five entries and 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.
It was sponsored by FHLBank Boston, Boston Society for Architecture, CohnReznick, Kuehn Charitable Foundation, ICON Architecture Inc., and Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association.