North Shore CDC seeks to positively impact the communities on the North Shore in which we work by creating great neighborhoods and cultivating leadership, opportunity and investment by others.
Access to quality, affordable housing is at its essence a regional challenge, and we believe it is effectively addressed at a regional scale with a neighborhood-based approach. North Shore CDC’s model is neighborhood development on a regional scale. Two years ago, our organization re-launched as a regional organization after 30 years of experience with single-community-based roots.
Our model of neighborhood development focuses on predominantly low-income or otherwise distressed neighborhoods within a community. We invest capital through affordable housing and commercial development, and we invest resources in community engagement to respond to local input and build neighborhood capacity. In each of our current communities, we have been called to invest resources in providing young people and immigrants meaningful opportunities to succeed.
Economic Impact
Our model works not only because it improves the lives of others, but also because it has a broader economic revitalization effect to communities in which we work:
In Salem and Beverly, we have maintained or increased property taxes for each property we own. Our tax impact in 2011 was $439,195.
We buy local, and our real estate portfolio generates job-creating investment into the North Shore economy.
Our developments leverage private capital with state and federal resources and minimal local funds to bring major investment to communities during a time of significant financial stress for municipalities.
By creating quality, affordable housing, we address what is often the most daunting financial challenge for struggling families: finding a stable, quality, affordable place to call home. In doing so, families are able to provide an inherently more stable home for their children.
Working with local government, we prioritize neighborhood safety and have significantly lowered the number of police calls where we focused our investment.
In 2012, our work has created 73 jobs (49 construction jobs and 24 youth jobs).
Holcroft Park Homes
A project which exemplifies our work is Holcroft Park Homes, currently under construction in Beverly.
The development encompasses most of a city block in Beverly’s Gloucester Crossing neighborhood. Built primarily to house workers in an adjacent manufacturing facility, Gloucester Crossing saw unemployment soar as factories closed. Absentee landlords, poverty and disinvestment contributed to higher-than-average crime rates, negative community perceptions, and parents who were not comfortable sending their children to the central neighborhood park, Holcroft Park.
North Shore CDC became involved in Gloucester Crossing more than 10 years ago by working with neighbors and the city of Beverly to revitalize Holcroft Park. In 2006, we acquired 11 adjacent properties at the core of the neighborhood’s challenges. After engaging in a nine-month community planning process, our team secured financing to begin the reconstruction of all 11 sites.
The second phase of the development is reaching the mid-point of construction, and by early 2013, this 58-unit family development will be complete. The 100 percent affordable development has a mix of income-tiers: Most units are set aside for families at 60 percent of median income ($54,960/year for a family of four in 2012), while a smaller number are reserved for families at families at 30 percent of median income ($27,480/year for a family of four).
The new development mirrors the fabric of the neighborhood: family housing, private entrances, and setbacks close to the street – allowing families and neighbors to interact as they once did in this tight-knit community.
We aren’t just providing affordable housing: we are helping to create a neighborhood of choice for residents with fewer financial options. Residents who were once uncomfortable allowing their kids to the park are now managing their own neighborhood by hosting block parties, forming welcoming committees, and working with the city to address concerns about trash.
In the communities in which we’ve worked, we’ve tried to cultivate a spirit of investment and revitalization. When investment in a community occurs, others engage to work towards more beautiful, safe and healthy neighborhoods.
Mickey Northcutt is executive director of the North Shore CDC, www.northshorecdc.org Email: mickey@northshorecdc.org
