CHELMSFORD -- The Chelmsford Housing Authority has won a total package of $9 million in aid to build state-of-the-art affordable apartments for people age 55 and older.
The funding comes at a time when housing officials are struggling to place some of the Merrimack Valley's neediest and frailest residents into affordable housing, said David Hedison, director of the Chelmsford Housing Authority.
As the economy continues to stagger, Hedison said many seniors are bracing for home-heating bills which are expected to skyrocket this winter.
"There's not only a huge need for affordable senior housing, but a need for supportive services for this population as well," Hedison said.
Expected to break ground in March, the new building will house 37 units utilizing green building technology, including energy saving appliances, plumbing fixtures, heating systems, windows and insulation to make the new development energy efficient.
Hedison said the Chelmsford Housing Authority is working with Borrego Solar Systems in Lowell to install solar panels on the building's roof. Located behind the Chelmsford Senior Center off Groton Road, the new building will be the final phase in the senior-housing campus which began in 2001.
Hedison said Saints Medical Center is also expected to open a satellite office in the building with a gerontologist on site to assist the elderly.
The project pieces together funding from several sources, including federal low-income housing tax credits and $3.475 million of subsidies in the competitive funding round from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
"Ours was the only project accepted after being reviewed just once," Hedison said, adding that the north Chelmsford building will serve as a model project for affordable housing statewide.
On Wednesday, Gov. Deval Patrick's office announced that Patrick pledged $142 million in public and private resources to develop affordable rental housing. The funding will result in 1,124 rental apartments for low-and moderate income residents statewide.