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Tag: governor maura healey

  • Assisted living safety survey results on way to fire departments

    Results of the state’s survey of all 272 assisted living residences in Massachusetts in the wake of a deadly fire in Fall River are in and they will soon be distributed to local fire departments as the state imposes a new annual safety requirement for the facilities.

    Ten residents of the Gabriel House assisted living center in Fall River died in a fire there in July, raising questions about safety and preparedness at the centers that operate somewhere between entirely independent living and places like nursing homes. Among the spate of safety-focused changes that Gov. Maura Healey announced in the immediate wake of the fire was the survey that led to Thursday’s new requirements.

    The results will be distributed to all fire departments, since they have jurisdiction over enforcement of the state’s fire code, and the Executive Office of Aging & Independence will begin requiring assisted living residences to secure an annual sign-off from their municipal fire department, Healey’s office said.

    “The Gabriel House fire was a terrible tragedy. It’s on all of us to do everything we can to enhance the safety of all residents and staff at Assisted Living Residences across the state. That’s why I took immediate action after the fire, including requiring this survey which will help ALRs and local fire departments identify and address areas of improvement,” Healey said. “We appreciate all of the ALRs for their responsiveness and will continue to work with them and local fire officials to improve emergency preparedness and give residents, families and staff the peace of mind they deserve.”

    The governor’s office said Thursday the “vast majority of residences reported strong preparedness measures” but responses from 36 residences (13%) revealed “opportunities to further strengthen their approach to fire drills, mutual aid plans, or emergency coordination protocols.” Aging & Independence will ask those facilities to submit a corrective action plan within 45 days and the state will conduct a “targeted review” of their training logs, drill performance, and emergency preparedness protocols.

    Most assisted living residences (189 facilities or 69%) self-identified at least one area where they were not aligned with best practices for fire or building safety. The administration said things like installing a kitchen hood extinguisher, fire pumps or fire-rated walls are recommended but not required in the facilities since they are not licensed health care centers. The governor’s office said many assisted living residences operate out of older buildings and that the findings “do not indicate that buildings are currently unsafe or out of compliance with building codes but rather point to areas where municipalities and operators can work together to enhance resident protection.”

    Colin A. Young

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  • Jack Kerouac’s old hangout gets a historic makeover

    LOWELL — By next October, fans of Beat writer Jack Kerouac will be able to add the building located at 484 Merrimack St. to their homage itinerary during the Lowell Celebrates Kerouac 2026 Fall Festival.

    In his youth, Kerouac spent afternoons at the old Royal Theater that was attached to the rear of the rooming house that fronted Merrimack Street in the Acre neighborhood.

    The Lowell-born Kerouac memorialized those days in his semiautobiographical novel “Dr. Sax,” in which the main character, Jackie Duluoz, describes afternoons at the theater waiting for “Tim McCoy to jump on screen, or Hoot Gibson, or Mix, Tom Mix” and looking up at the cherubs in the “pink and gilt and crystal-crazy ceiling.”

    The theater was demolished 30 years ago, but the four-story brick boarding house Kerouac undoubtedly walked past on his way to the box office is being gut renovated and restored by Lowell-born Patrick Tighe, a Los Angeles-based architect.

    In August, Tighe’s project, New Royal LLC, received $1.3 million in Housing Development Incentive Program tax credits for 24 market-rate housing units during an awards ceremony in Revere.

    “We are thrilled to have received the tax credits,” Tighe said by email.

    HDIP is a tool for the state’s Gateway Cities to create more market-rate housing championed by the Healey-Driscoll administration to support economic development, expand diversity of housing stock and create more vibrant neighborhoods.

    The building dates to 1915 and was built in the Colonial Revival style. Tighe said the massive granite foundation walls and first-floor brick walls of the theater still remain and will be incorporated into a sunken garden for the first-floor commercial development.

    Tighe’s building is listed on the national and state registry of historic places through its inclusion in the Lowell National Historical Park and Preservation District and the Downtown Lowell Historic District. The building has been vacant for years and was condemned by the city. Tighe bought it in 2016.

    Tighe said the abandoned and derelict 7,000-square-foot building stood the test of time thanks to a robust steel frame with wood construction and a masonry exterior. He said the design will restore many of the unique period features and bring the building back to its “original splendor.”

    “The façade at the street is a tan glazed brick in decorative patterns, with red brick at the sides,” Tighe said. “Distinct to the building are two three-story oriel windows clad with sheet metal. The bay windows create a rhythmic streetscape pattern continued at the adjacent building. The oriels and the original oak door are details which give the building its Colonial Revival spirit.”

    The building originally housed a market on the street level and Tighe said he was working closely with Sophia’s Greek Pantry (a shop that is currently on an adjacent site on Market Street) to occupy the 2,600-square-foot space.

    The historic project joins housing developments underway throughout the city that were granted HDIP funds in an April round of funding. Lowell received $7.5 million to build 132 units including $5 million to the Mullins Company’s Mass Mills IV development for a total of 95 units; and $2.5 million to Heritage Properties to build 37 units at The Emery, on a vacant lot at Pearl and Middlesex Streets.

    In July 2024, Lowell received $4.5 million for two downtown housing developments, again, the largest share of the $27 million distributed to 14 projects from the HDIP program, to create 547 total new units in 11 Gateway Cities across the state.

    The Hildreth Building, built in 1884 on Merrimack Street, received $2.5 million in HDIP funding. The historic building is being redeveloped to create 50 units on the upper floors and a retail space on the first floor, a part of which will be occupied by businesses displaced by the closure of Mill No. 5.The other Mill City HDIP project, the 26-unit Isobel Lofts on Middlesex Street, was awarded $2 million.

    “When Kerouac fans come to visit they can stand in the sunken garden surrounded by the massive granite walls of the Royal Theater and imagine what it was once like,” Tighe said.

    The Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Fall Festival runs from Thursday, Oct. 9 through Monday, Oct. 13. A variety of public events are scheduled in Lowell and the surrounding area, including music, poetry and tours. The festival features a mix of free, donation- and fee-based events. For more information, visit lowellcelebrateskerouac.org.

    Melanie Gilbert

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  • Massachusetts lags in housing production despite units added in Healey’s term

    BOSTON — More than 90,000 housing units have been completed or entered development since Gov. Maura Healey took office, she said Wednesday, chipping away at the state’s estimated need for 220,000 homes by the end of the decade.

    Of the 90,400 units cited by Healey’s office, about 63,100 have been built and added to the state’s supply. Another 18,300 are under construction, 3,600 have secured state funding through the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and 5,400 are privately financed proposals still in the pipeline.

    Despite the progress, Massachusetts still lags much of the country in housing production.

    An estimated 14,338 building permits were issued in Massachusetts in 2024, or 201 per 100,000 residents — the sixth-lowest rate in the nation. The national average was 281 per 100,000, according to an analysis by U.S. Data Labs, a platform developed by the Pioneer Institute providing state-level data on policy areas.

    By comparison, Maine issued 6,034 permits in 2024, or 429 per 100,000 residents. Vermont and New Hampshire also outpaced Massachusetts per capita, at 409 and 352 permits per 100,000 residents. In southern New England, permit rates were generally lower. Nationally, Idaho led with about 881 permits per 100,000 people, while Texas authorized the most permits overall at more than 225,756.

    Healey first highlighted the 90,354-unit figure in August on the anniversary of last summer’s housing bond law, which she said laid important groundwork for boosting supply. That number includes all homes completed, permitted, awarded or proposed since Healey took office.

    The housing law required cities and towns to allow accessory dwelling units, set up a $50 million “Momentum Fund” for stalled mixed-income projects and expanded financing tools for affordable and moderate-income housing.

    A breakdown provided by the administration shows only a portion of the total comes directly from that bond law. The Momentum Fund accounts for 461 units, while another 732 permits are tied to accessory dwelling units.

    Other programs include 1,525 units through the Housing Development Incentive Program — which was expanded in the 2024 housing law — and 10,566 from projects funded by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

    Zoning mandates tied to older state laws also play a role: the MBTA Communities law accounts for about 5,200 units, and Chapter 40B for 8,360.

    The majority, however — more than two-thirds, or 63,510 units — falls under what the administration categorizes as “additional housing development” outside state-directed programs.

    “I’m focused every day on building more housing,” Healey said at a Bloomberg event in Boston on Wednesday.

    She continued, “Through tax credits for developers, changes to the law to make accessory dwelling units available by right, mill-to-housing conversions, office-to-housing conversions, and surplus state land, we’re making real progress. We started with a deficit of 220,000, and a year and a half in, we now have over 90,000 housing starts underway.”

    The U.S. Data Labs report also found Massachusetts ranks near the top in the value of new housing permitted. The average estimated value per permit here was $284,086, second only to Hawaii at $342,910.

    Sam Drysdale

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  • Homeowners demand relief from crumbling foundations

    Homeowners demand relief from crumbling foundations

    Homeowners clamoring for state help as they deal with the hefty costs of fixing their crumbling foundations, which could eventually render their houses unlivable, called on Gov. Maura Healey Wednesday to wield her executive power to kickstart a potential solution.

    Advocates with Massachusetts Residents Against Crumbling Foundations say they want Healey to issue an executive order to create a committee to develop recommendations on providing assistance for those dealing with crumbling concrete woes. Those recommendations could form the basis for legislation on a relief plan and account, which advocates say would help people who are on the hook for hundreds of thousands dollars in repair or replacement costs for their deteriorating home foundations, caused by pyrite or pyrrhotite minerals.

    “We are asking for the ability to form a committee to start a captive insurance plan or start a plan that would allow us to get assistance to fix these foundations. We are mirroring a plan that’s already in place and working in the state of Connecticut — they’ve replaced over 1,000 homes,” said Cynthia Poirier, an assessor in Brimfield and Holland. “They use a $1 a month surcharge on homeowners’ polices, no more than $12 a year. The first year alone, if we were able to put that together in Massachusetts, we’d raise close to $22 million.”

    A Healey spokesperson did not directly answer a News Service question about whether the governor is willing to issue an executive order sought by advocates.

    “The Healey-Driscoll Administration recognizes the importance of providing support to homeowners whose concrete foundations are crumbling,” Healey spokesperson Karissa Hand said. “We will continue to work together with our partners in the Legislature to evaluate potential solutions that would provide relief to homeowners.”

    Financial relief proposals have failed to gain momentum on Beacon Hill, despite persistent lobbying from affected homeowners.

    The Senate, in its affordable housing bond bill, unanimously adopted an amendment that would have created a crumbling concrete working group and relief fund. The policy did not survive closed-door conference committee negotiations. Amendment sponsors, including Sens. Peter Durant, Ryan Fattman, Michael Moore and Jake Oliveira, joined with advocates outside the State House Wednesday morning.

    Advocates say more than 40 municipalities are affected by what they call the “crumbling foundation crisis” that stymies affected homeowners from selling or refinancing their houses.

    “My position is we have enough money to spend on so many other things and support so many other people, but we need to support the people that have been paying taxes in all of these towns, with these homes that are no fault of their own,” Monson Select Board member Peter Warren said. “And they’re not getting any support.”

    Alison Kuznitz

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  • Mill City miracle: Draper Labs expands to Lowell

    Mill City miracle: Draper Labs expands to Lowell

    LOWELL — A company that operated the computer guidance system that helped land Apollo 11 on the moon is coming to Lowell, to be an anchor tenant in the Lowell Innovation Network Corridor project that was announced last week.

    UMass Lowell Chancellor Julie Chen, flanked by local, state and federal leadership, introduced Draper President and CEO Jerry Wohletz during a welcome ceremony held Thursday at UMass Lowell’s University Crossing, in a room that overlooked the Merrimack River.

    “Today is a milestone in the history of this city,” Chen said. “Because [LINC is] setting in motion a vision that will not only transform UMass Lowell, but will transform this whole region for our students, but also all of the residents of this great city.”

    LINC is an $800 million development plan that leverages the prestige and innovation of the university and the resources and history of the city of Lowell with the job creation capabilities of industry like Draper Labs to envision a vibrant urban village/main street model and economic engine for the city.

    Until ground is broken on Phase 1 of the project next year, which will construct two industry co-location and professional housing apartment buildings, Draper Labs will temporarily move a microelectronics division of about 50 people into university-owned space in Wannalancit Mills.

    According to its website, Draper Labs “is an innovation company that pursues scientific advancements to solve that nation’s toughest national security problems for the betterment of the nation and secure democracy around the globe.”

    Pulling together this transformative project with a $600 million investment is Wexford Science & Technology, a company known for its mixed-use, amenity-rich, innovation-focused communities blending industry/university community models. It responded to a request for proposal that UMass Lowell sent out 16-18 months ago.

    The project will bring new housing, economic development, technology jobs and workforce development to downtown Lowell.

    The planning for this campus-style industry initiative was more than 12 years in the making, said UMass President Marty Meehan.

    “Some of the parcels that are involved in this, we acquired in 2010, 2011,” he said. “This was a vision that was set out over a long period of time.”

    That vision moved from the planning stage to implementation with support from Gov. Maura Healey and U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, both of whom were in attendance at the morning event. They were joined by Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, state Sen. Ed Kennedy and state Reps. Vanna Howard, Rodney Elliott and Rady Mom. In the audience were several Lowell city councilors, former Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and Middlesex Community College President Phil Sisson, among others.

    Healey said her administration would draw on LINC as a “marquee” example of innovation in the commonwealth. The state was recently awarded $19.7 million to establish the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Hub, a regional hub that will advance the microelectronics needs of the U.S. Department of Defense while spurring new jobs, workforce training opportunities and investment in the region’s advanced manufacturing and technology sectors.

    “This is a space in which we’ve done really, really well,” Healey said. “Microelectronics is an example of a sector that is growing and that is key to our future and it’s going to happen here. I’m really pumped about this. Lowell deserves this … it’s good for the country.”

    Trahan brought the federal government to the table with CHIPS Act and other funding.

    The $280 billion CHIPS Act, which stands for Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors, was passed in July 2022 to bring semiconductor manufacturing back to the United States.

    “We’ve secured investments that will position the Mill City for a multibillion economic and jobs boom the likes of which hasn’t happened here since the Industrial Revolution,” Trahan said.

    Wohletz said Draper needs talent, and lots of it. The company is doubling its staff of 2,400 in the coming years. It has campuses across the U.S., including Massachusetts with its headquarters in Cambridge and the U.S. Navy Integrated Repair Facility in Pittsfield.

    “Draper views UMass Lowell’s microelectronics program as one of the top programs in the region,” Wohletz said. “We view UMass Lowell as a strategic partner and a resource for state and federal engagement and a pipeline for engineering talent.”

    That pipeline includes Middlesex Community College, the Lowell Public Schools system, as well as Greater Lowell Technical High School.

    Several leaders spoke to a brain drain that happens in Lowell, in which promising talent leaves due to a lack of housing. LINC incorporates professional housing as part of the model. The project is expected to add almost 500 new units to the city’s housing stock.

    “LINC will retain and attract professionals to Lowell as well as ramp up economic development, entertainment and culture for Lowell residents,” City Manager Tom Golden said during his welcoming remarks.

    Golden added that the city and UMass Lowell are also planning infrastructure improvements as more people live and work in Lowell.

    The teamwork between the local government, the university and state and federal leadership is what brought Draper Labs to Lowell, Wohletz said.

    “The secret recipe has always been partnerships,” he said. “At the core of these great technology achievements has been a partnership between government, academia and industry. United in solving these tough problems while committed to educating the next generations of engineers and scientists.”

    Melanie Gilbert

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  • Warren, Markey keep pressure on Steward as suitors emerge

    Warren, Markey keep pressure on Steward as suitors emerge

    BOSTON — Southcoast Health announced Friday it is considering buying a Fall River hospital owned by financially floundering Steward Health Care, with the goal of preserving care for patients and preventing the facility from potentially closing.

    Southcoast Health CEO David McCready said his organization has a “strong interest” in acquiring St. Anne’s Hospital.

    “St. Anne’s patients and employees are part of our community; they are our family members, friends and neighbors,” McCready said in a community message Friday, which was posted on the not-for-profit health care system’s website. He said his company’s message to Steward is: “The best option for St. Anne’s Hospital, its patients, its employees, and our community, is for St. Anne’s to join the Southcoast Health family.”

    And in a separate letter concerning Steward, U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey on Friday demanded that CEO Ralph de la Torre explain “years of mismanagement, private equity schemes, and executive profiteering” at the for-profit company he leads.

    The senators wrote that Steward has hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, “raising questions about unpaid vendors, patient care, and job losses for front-line health care workers, while creating ongoing uncertainty about whether hospitals will close, and if not, how they will be restructured.”

    “You are attempting to make a last-minute deal for your remaining assets that would let you walk away, while leaving Governor Healey and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to scramble for a solution to preserve care,” the senators wrote to Steward’s CEO.

    Southcoast Health operates three hospitals in Massachusetts, including Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham. The system’s next step is to conduct “thorough due diligence” to determine whether any type of acquisition with Steward is feasible, McCready wrote.

    A Steward spokesperson, asked if the company was also interested in the transaction, did not directly address a deal for St. Anne’s Hospital.

    “Steward Health Care is working with state officials and others to transition ownership of the Massachusetts hospitals in a way that everyone agrees is best for patients, our employees, and the Commonwealth,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the News Service. “We are committed to continuity of care in our communities, and we appreciate the strong level of interest we have received from numerous qualified health systems that could facilitate a smooth transition.”

    McCready wrote he was alarmed by news that Steward — a for-profit system that’s faced increasing scrutiny over its severe financial distress and incomplete financial reporting to state regulators — plans to sell off its nine Massachusetts hospitals. Gov. Maura Healey’s office last month said it’s time for Steward to leave the Massachusetts health care market.

    “As you can imagine, this will be a complex transaction involving multiple parties – with the potential to be truly devastating for these hospitals’ patients and employees if there is an interruption of service,” McCready said. “In the worst case, if Steward and their partners fail to find a buyer, or enough buyers, they may have to close one or more of their hospitals.”

    McCready argued Southcoast Health is best suited to take over St. Anne’s Hospital, compared to national health systems that have “much less at stake when it comes to public health and community outreach in the areas where they operate.”

    “Ultimately, our goal is to further provide our region with patient-centered, community-based healthcare, and to offer employment opportunities to talented caregivers and healthcare workers currently serving Steward’s patients,” he said.

    In their letter to de la Torre, Warren and Markey said they want answers by March 21 outlining the compensation of top Steward executives, and the financial arrangement between Steward and Medical Properties Trust, which is essentially the landlord for Steward hospitals. Their lengthy list of questions also probes Steward’s plan to repay its debt and exit Massachusetts, and past transactions with private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management.

    The senators demanded that Steward provide audited financial statements for fiscal years ending Dec. 31 of 2022 and 2023.

    “Steward’s Massachusetts hospitals are in deep financial distress and appear to be in danger of closure because of years of mismanagement, private equity schemes, and executive profiteering. You have run this hospital system for 14 years, and reportedly have had access to two private jets while owning two luxury yachts,” the letter states.

    MPT is working with Steward and its advisors to strengthen the company’s liquidity, MPT CEO Edward Aldag said in a fourth quarter earnings call on Feb. 21. Aldag said MPT is trying to “significantly” reduce its exposure to Steward and accelerate the collection of unpaid rent.

    “This plan contemplates a wide range of strategic transactions, including transitioning certain hospitals to new tenants and selling its managed care business,” Aldag said. “While it will take some time for Steward to execute these steps, we are encouraged by the early progress.”

    MPT has provided Steward with $60 million in bridge loan funding, and Aldag said more money could be provided if Steward achieves “significant” rent payment milestones.

    Aldag said Steward’s cash collections problems have worsened since the fall and are exacerbated by its backlog of vendor payments. That’s impaired Steward’s ability “to perform higher-margin surgeries that are a key driver of cash flow,” Aldag said.

    Alison Kuznitz

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