Brighton, MA – 2Life Communities, in partnership with the City of Boston and the Boston Housing Authority (BHA), recently celebrated the completion of the newly constructed J.J. Carroll House in Brighton.
The project, which began construction in October 2021, redeveloped 64 public housing apartments across multiple outdated buildings and created a new, modern and energy-efficient building offering 142 affordable apartments to older adults and persons with disabilities. The apartments are connected to 2Life’s existing 763-apartment Brighton campus. The redevelopment includes 114 deeply affordable units supported by the Section 8 voucher program, 27 affordable units through Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and one unit for an on-site manager.
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh, Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Regional Administrator Juana Matias, MassHousing Chief Executive Officer Chrystal Kornegay, Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon, and BHA Administrator Kenzie Bok were all on hand for the celebration.
J.J. Carroll House
J.J. Carroll House integrates healthcare and housing, designed to promote senior living that is community-based and exceeds sustainability standards, all while providing housing that addresses the two biggest threats to optimal aging: loneliness and economic insecurity. In 2019, the BHA selected 2Life to redevelop the J.J. Carroll Apartments. Since the designation, 2Life worked closely with J.J. Carroll residents and BHA on a plan to replace the existing buildings with a new building that is more comfortable, energy efficient and accessible, including universal design and adaptability features that enable residents to stay in their apartments even as their physical needs change.
All the apartments at J.J. Carroll are affordable to households up to 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) with Section 8 project-based vouchers subsidizing 114 apartments so that eligible residents pay only 30% of their income toward rent. It includes a Program of All-Inclusive Care (PACE) center, operated by Element Care. Amenities include fitness centers, art space, a unisex hair salon, a resident-run resale shop and outdoor space including a community gathering plaza on Chestnut Hill Avenue.
J.J. Carrol is 2Life’s first Passive House building and, when certified, will be the largest multifamily Passive House in Massachusetts and in the top 10 in the U.S. and Canada. Core elements include an airtight building envelope, high-quality windows and doors, solar energy and high-performing ventilation systems to improve indoor air quality and comfort.
“J.J. Carroll demonstrates what it means to ‘age in community,’ with the building designed to promote healthy interaction and activity, linked to living better and longer lives,” said Jonathan Evans, principal and project architect at MASS Design Group.
The total cost for the redevelopment is approximately $88.3 million, funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Preservation Fund, MassHousing, Wells Fargo Bank, Dorfman Capital, Mass Save, and the George B. Henderson Foundation. Dellbrook︳JKS served as the general contractor on the project.
