The Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. (CEDAC) recently approved more than $2.4 million in loans to Somerville Community Corp. (SCC) and Lawrence Community Works Inc. (LCW) for three affordable housing developments.

SCC received $600,000 in predevelopment lending to develop Washington Street Apartments, which will be built at the location of a vacant former Boys and Girls Club. The four-story development will include 35 units of affordable rental housing and 5,600 square feet of commercial space. Eight of these units will be reserved for extremely low income families with special needs, including homeless families. SCC has partnered with Somerville Homeless Coalition to provide supportive services for the formerly homeless families.

CEDAC has also approved $1.4 million in acquisition and predevelopment lending for SCC’s second project, 163 Glen St., a property formerly used as an American Legion Post. The project is a mixed-income residential development that will create 11 units in its first phase by adaptively reusing the building. Approximately one third of the units created will be restricted to moderate income households, one third will be restricted to middle income households and one third targeted to households at market rate.

"The city of Somerville is witnessing a tremendous amount of change, especially with the expansion of transit opportunities there," Roger Herzog, CEDAC’s executive director, said in a statement. "It is encouraging to see that the SCC is not only continuing its commitment to provide quality affordable rental housing but is looking to develop affordable housing for ownership, as well."

Both of the Somerville units will near the proposed Washington Street stop on the MBTA’s Green Line Extension project, which will expand service to Medford.

In Lawrence, LCW received $400,000 in predevelopment lending for its Duck Mill project. The project is a redevelopment of the former cloth mill building and is across from another affordable housing project developed by LCW. Construction is expected to begin in October of this year, creating 73 affordable rental units, and 16,000 square feet of commercial space.

"Lawrence Community Works is providing tremendous leadership to the city of Lawrence in developing the city’s historic mill buildings into affordable housing," Herzog said in a statement. "Both the additional housing units and the commercial space this project will provide will help that community significantly."