West Fenway Apartments To Be Renovated

July 6, 2011 : The Boston Globe, by Kaivan Mangouri

The West Fenway Apartments will get a long-awaited facelift as part of a $13.5 million project, thanks to a $7 million bond issued by MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency. The complex’s 48 affordable housing units will be purchased and remodeled.

“This is a great project to preserve those units and to make sure there is a good supply of affordable housing in Boston,” said Kelsey Abbruzzese, spokeswoman for MassDevelopment.

The development agency collaborated with Fenway Community Development Corporation and the Massachusetts Housing Partnership to provide the financing to 110 Peterborough Limited Partnership, which will buy and renovate the units.

Repairs are expected to be made to the roof, exterior, and elevator, and handicap accessibility upgrades, energy-efficient appliances, and a solar-powered hot water system will be installed.

“Residents are pretty excited about it. Nothing has happened to the interior for 20 years,” said Lisa Soli, Housing Director for Fenway CDC. “We’ve had a cranky elevator since day one, and it continued to trap people.”

The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.