A lottery will award 48 mixed-income housing units at The Hayes at Railroad Square, a residential community in the Hayes Building mill complex.
One- and two-bedroom apartments range from 700 to 1,500 square feet and are within walking distance to restaurants, shops and the MBTA Commuter Rail Train Station, the Amtrak Downeaster line and the Washington Square Transit Station.
Applications for the lottery are available by calling Peabody Properties at 888-744-2787 or from www.hayesapts.com or by visiting these locations during regular business hours:
Haverhill Public Library, 99 Main St., Haverhill
City Hall, The Mayor's Office, 4 Summer St, Haverhill
Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, 80 Merrimack St. (The Landmark Building), Haverhill
The lottery will take place at All Saints Parish Hall on May 25. Applications must be received by noon on May 19 and can be mailed to Peabody Properties, The Hayes Lottery 536 Granite St., Braintree, MA 02184.
To download an application or to view floor plans go to www.hayesapts.com or call 888-744-2787.
The property was developed by the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, a social justice ministry established by the Boston Archdiocese to develop, affordable and mixed income housing where people of modest means can live with dignity and respect.
It has created more than 2,400 units in Massachusetts, providing homes for more than 10,000 people in 26 residential developments.
"We are proud to be part of a project that has brought over 150 jobs and a new kind of housing to the area," said Lisa Alberghini, president of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. "The continued support of Mayor (James) Fiorentini, City Council members, the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce and the local community, has helped to make the redevelopment of the Hayes at Railroad Square a success."
About the Hayes Building
Constructed in 1894 by Charles H. Hayes, the Hayes Building Mill Complex was originally a box factory that served many local businesses including the booming shoe industry.
Well known throughout Haverhill and Greater Boston, Mr. Hayes played an immense role in the growth and industrialization of the city, and was credited with bringing to fruition a "vision of the New Haverhill."
After the building burned in 1911, Hayes rebuilt an even larger structure next door.
Over the past century, the Hayes Block has housed various local businesses including the Haverhill Electric Company.
Breaking ground
The Hayes Building was the first Chapter 40R permit issued in a city in the Commonwealth.
According to the state Office of Housing and Economic Development:
The 40R law encourages communities to create dense residential or mixed-use smart growth zoning districts, including a high percentage of affordable housing units, near transit stations or in areas of concentrated development such as existing city and town centers
Once the state approves, communities become eligible for payments from a Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund, as well as other financial incentives.
Chapter 40R seeks to substantially increase the supply of housing and decrease its cost, by increasing the amount of land zoned for dense housing.
It targets the shortfall in housing for low- and moderate-income households, by requiring the inclusion of affordable units in most private projects.
