There is new vision for the Hillside neighborhood in Waterbury.
“What a glorious day it is for the community because we celebrate this ribbon cutting for units that will accommodate over a hundred Waterbury citizens in high quality housing,” Jim Smith of the Harold Webster Smith Foundation said.
Forty-four new apartments are on the housing market. The units located on Linden Street replace what used to be an abandoned building, vacant parking lot and blighted house.
“The goal of this project was to increase the availability of affordable housing while reducing blight,” NeighborWorks New Horizons President Tom Cruess said.
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A majority of the mixed-income apartments are considered affordable. Cruess said rent will vary between $400 and upwards of $1,500 depending on an individual's income.
“Housing like this is workforce housing for people maybe working in the community, affordable housing for other people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford a place to live,” Gov. Ned Lamont (D-Connecticut) said.
The housing project was started during the former mayor’s administration. Current Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said addressing a housing shortage in the city continues to be a top priority under his leadership.
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“There are currently hundreds of families who are on waiting list throughout the city looking for quality housing. This project will begin to make a dent into that shortage of rental property,” Pernerewski said.
The total cost of the project was $18 million. It was funded through a mix of state, private and nonprofit funds including the Connecticut Department of Housing, the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority and the Harold Webster Smith Foundation.
The first tenant moved in this weekend and property managers are currently reviewing applications for the remaining one, two and three-bedroom apartments.
“Filling these 44 apartments with working families and young professionals will give this neighborhood the boost that it needs,” Pernerewski said.
