New Affordable Units Come To Brookline’s Hancock Village Complex

BROOKLINE, MA – A 127-unit apartment building in Brookline’s Hancock Village apartment community has opened with a host of new affordable units for low-income residents, Chestnut Hill Realty officials announced at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 31.

“This is an exciting milestone in our planned expansion of Hancock Village and comes at a critical juncture as there is an urgent need to provide suitable housing for our area’s growing population while ensuring that families of all income levels can afford to live here,” Chestnut Hill Realty CEO Ed Zuker said in a news release.

Owned and managed by Chestnut Hill Realty since 1986, Hancock Village is an 80-acre apartment community with a mixture of townhome style and single level units.

The new John Adams Building at Hancock Villate, located on Asheville Road, is part of a massive 461-unit expansion called the Residences of South Brookline, developed under the Commonwealth’s Chapter 40B statute.

Chapter 40B is a state statute that seeks to ensure all 351 of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns provide housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income working households and older adults.

The John Adams building is the largest 40B project currently in development in Brookline.

“This is significant, especially now that there is such a big push to increase housing stock. The building we’re touring today includes both affordable and market rate units which is very important in terms of meeting our needs as a community,” Brookline Select Board Chair Bernard Greene said at the ribbon cutting ceremony, according to the announcement.

A total of 85 units in the development will be designated as affordable – 35 in the Adams Building – with the project expanding the total number of apartment homes in Hancock Village to more than 1,300. A three-story, 36-unit apartment building and 48 townhomes were added in 2022, and a six-story, 250-unit building is set to open in 2024.

One- and two-bedroom, single level apartment homes designated at affordable and market rates will be available to future residents at the John Adams building.

The building’s amenities includes a fitness center, EV charging stations, underground parking, open concept floor plans, roof deck, game room, lounge areas, pet grooming stations, bike storage, and office space.

The project was financed by MassDevelopment, which provided approximately $80 million in taxable and tax-exempt bonds to subsidize the project. The affordable apartments at the development are available to families who make less than 50% of the area median income – or, less than $61,178, according to Census data on Brookline.

“Projects like this make a real difference in easing the housing burden for Greater Boston and Massachusetts. We are really thrilled to be a partner in this effort,” Tony Fracasso, Senior Vice President of Housing Finance at MassDevelopment, said in the news release.