Special to the Record
The Chelsea Housing Authority, in collaboration with the Joseph J. Corcoran Company and John M. Corcoran & Co., proudly hosted community tours of the Duo site on October 22 and 25. Residents from the Prattville and Fitzpatrick public housing sites, along with neighbors from the surrounding area, were invited to explore the future of housing in Chelsea as the CHA and Corcoran team move forward with the development at the 13 acre CHA Prattville site. Over 200 residents went on toured the state of the art Duo community to see the possibilities of a redevelopment of their current homes. Transportation was made available for those residents unable to get to the Duo building on their own to ensure residents had the chance to visit.
The tour offered attendees a firsthand look at the progress and vision behind the Duo site, highlighting the commitment to inclusive development and community engagement that will be replicated at the Prattville project. The event fostered dialogue between residents, developers, and housing officials, reinforcing the shared goal of creating vibrant, sustainable, equitable living spaces for all. The team made sure every resident knew they were committed to three guiding promises that were also present for the Innes/Duo redevelopment with the same team:
1) All residents will have a right to return to the new units once they are built
2) Residents will be involved throughout the process
3) There will be no cost to the residents for relocation and no change to the current way rents are calculated
Chelsea Housing Authority Executive Director Paul Nowikci stated “The CHA and the Corcoran redevelopment team have made a commitment to the CHA residents, the neighbors and to the city of Chelsea that we will be transparent and inclusive throughout the redevelopment process and the Duo tours were the 4th engagement activity already. We encourage all to view our redevelopment website, ThePrattChelsea.org as this transformational project will truly be a team effort”
The Chelsea Housing Authority and their redevelopment partners are committed to direct engagement with the community and have already launched a new website ,
www.theprattchelsea.org , that will act as a communication and information hub throughout the project. The tours of Duo were designed to help residents envision the future and provide feedback on what they want to see in their community. The 198 units of affordable housing will be a cornerstone of the 13 acre project at the Prattville site. The team is also planning on addressing current traffic issues, highway access , public transportation, housing creation and economic development as part of a larger planning commitment with the City of Chelsea and other state agencies.
For more information, please contact:
Chelsea Housing Authority [email protected]