Affordable housing is at a premium in Chelsea and across the state, and city leaders are taking a unique approach to help provide more affordable units.
Last week, following a series of renovations, city officials cut the ribbon on the first city-owned and managed affordable housing property in Chelsea’s history at 55 Heard St.
Now known as Chelsea 55, the six three-bedroom unit apartment building went into receivership in 2025. The city secured authorization from the board of assessors and the city council to purchase the building as part of its efforts to expand affordable housing options in Chelsea.
After the purchase, the city’s public works department began renovations on the building to ensure conditions were habitable and comfortable for its future occupants. While renovations were underway, the city launched its first affordable housing lottery, which had more than 300 applicants.
The first family was scheduled to move into Chelsea 55 on Sept. 1, with more families to follow throughout the month. Priority for the units has been given to current residents, families, veterans, and anyone recently displaced from Chelsea.
City Solicitor Cheryl Watson Fisher said the property at 55 Heard St. was an example of a building in the city that fell into disrepair with the owners running out of resources and walking away, leading to it ending up in receivership.
“These properties sit vacant, deteriorate, and drain resources from neighborhoods all around,” said Fisher. “Often, what comes next is worse … investors buy these properties, do the minimum, and flip them at prices that push longtime Chelsea families out of the neighborhoods.”
Chelsea 55 represents a different choice, the city solicitor said.
“Rather than stand by while the cycle repeats itself, the city decided to be part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem,” Fisher said. “This property is the city’s first affordable housing development owned and managed by the city. It’s true that we can take a building on the edge of being lost and turn it into something that actually serves the people who live here.”
City Manager Fidel Maltez said Chelsea 55 didn’t happen by accident.
“It happened because we asked ourselves a different question,” Maltez said. “Instead of accepting the status quo, which Cheryl has shared, that we see here in Chelsea, what if the city used the tools already in front of us to meet our community’s needs directly? That meant thinking outside of our traditional playbook, and it meant that a lot of people across the city … working together and willing to do something that had never been done before.”
Maltez thanked the board of assessors for helping to make the project financially possible. He also thanked the city council who believed in the vision and gave its support for the project.
“This is what it looks like when a city government, across all of our departments, and our elected leadership come together and actually solve a large problem instead of just kicking the can down the road,” said Maltez. “I’ll be clear, Chelsea 55 is a pilot; I am not pretending that this is going to solve all of our problems in Chelsea and I am not pretending that this is going to be the answer of how we are going to solve affordability in Chelsea. But this is real, this is a tangible start. It is six units where families can now afford to stay in our community and call it home.”
If Chelsea 55 proves successful in providing stable, affordable transitional housing that meets the needs of residents and the city’s budget, the administration may pursue similar opportunities to purchase additional buildings, said Deputy City Manager Devon Fields. She said the city will be tracking the success of the program over the coming year to see how viable purchasing future units for the city may be.
