SPRINGFIELD – June 23, 2021 – Mayor Domenic Sarno, The Michaels Organization, and MassHousing today celebrated the start of extensive renovations at the 201-unit Bergan Circle housing community in Springfield.
Michaels, which has taken over ownership and management of the Bergen Circle Apartments, has embarked on approximately $17 million in property renovations to the eight-building community in the McKnight neighborhood.
"I want to thank MassHousing and The Michaels Organization, which will undertake the significant improvements to the property, for their continued belief and investment in our Springfield. My administration is committed to utilizing any and all means to boost our community's housing stock. This development checks every mark for our low- and moderate-income residents and market rate housing," said Mayor Sarno.
"It is a privilege for Michaels to now be part of this community. We look forward to modernizing the Bergen Circle Apartments and to ensuring that this community is a place families are proud to call home for generations to come," said Michaels CEO John O'Donnell.
"We were very pleased to join Mayor Sarno, The Michaels Organization, and especially the residents of Bergen Circle to celebrate a new beginning for this important housing community in Springfield," said MassHousing Executive Director Chrystal Kornegay. "The renovations planned by Michaels will revitalize the property and provide quality housing and economic opportunities for the Bergen residents for many years into the future."
"This renovation demonstrates how the community voice is joined with the due diligence of community effort and met with the necessary funding to bring a vision into fruition. I have worked hard alongside the Baker-Polito Administration, Springfield City Hall, the Springfield Delegation and many members of this community to help make this dream a reality, a well-deserved and long overdue investment, where the current and future residents of the 11th Hampden District can live, work, play and thrive. It takes a village and I thank all who stepped to the plate to make it happen," said Rep. Bud L. Williams.
The Michaels Organization is the largest private sector owner of affordable housing in the nation, with full-service capabilities in development, management, construction and finance.
MassHousing provided Michaels with a $13.3 million construction and permanent loan and a $7.9 million repair loan. The improvements underway at Bergen Circle are building envelope repairs and water infiltration remediation; the installation of new windows, flooring and appliances; kitchen, bathroom, and HVAC upgrades; and replacing sanitary and water risers on the midrise building.
Located at 15 Girard Ave., 161 of the 201 apartments at Bergen Circle are contained in a seven-story, steel-framed building, and the remaining 40 apartments are in seven, two-story, wood-frame townhomes. There are 89 one-bedroom apartments, 72 two-bedroom apartments, 20 three-bedroom apartments and 20 four-bedroom apartments.
Of the 201 units, 170 are supported by federal project-based housing vouchers, with 118 of the units restricted to households earning up to 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 52 units restricted to households earning up to 80 percent of AMI. The remaining 31 apartments are rented at market rates. The Area Median Income for Springfield is $77,200 for a household of four.
The general contractor is Michaels Construction. The architect is Urban Practice and the management agent is Michaels Management.
About The Michaels Organization
The Michaels Organization is a national leader in residential real estate offering full-service capabilities in development, property management, construction, and finance. Serving 145,000 residents in more than 400 communities nationwide, Michaels is committed to crafting housing solutions that jumpstart education, civic engagement, and neighborhood prosperity, and to creating Communities That Lift Lives. For more information, please visit www.TMO.com.
About MassHousing
MassHousing (The Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency) is an independent, quasi-public agency created in 1966 and charged with providing financing for affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Agency raises capital by selling bonds and lends the proceeds to low- and moderate-income homebuyers and homeowners, and to developers who build or preserve affordable and/or mixed-income rental housing. MassHousing does not use taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations, although it administers some publicly funded programs on behalf of the Commonwealth. Since its inception, MassHousing has provided more than $27 billion for affordable housing. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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