Bridging connection between generations: Swifts Landing officially opens
The signs outside of the complex. Photos by Lauren Rauseo.
One of the units.
Ribbon cutting outside the complex.
Chair of the Select board Judith Whiteside giving a speech.
The signs outside of the complex. Photos by Lauren Rauseo.
One of the units.
Ribbon cutting outside the complex.
Chair of the Select board Judith Whiteside giving a speech.
With blue and yellow balloons lining the clubhouse, a group of residents jovially chatting amongst themselves, and state officials ready to share their pride and appreciation, the Swifts Landing celebration began.
Swifts Landing, an affordable housing complex developed for families and seniors by Pennrose, had their official grand opening ceremony Tuesday, July 29.
The April 2023 Spring Town Meeting approved $300,000 to go toward the housing project in the Swifts Beach neighborhood.
The complex has 93 units, with 49 units reserved for those who qualify for affordable housing, and 44 affordable units available for seniors aged 62 and older.
Senior Developer for Pennrose, Rio Sacchetti, managed the project and said the company was granted the ground lease of 90 years by the Wareham Redevelopment Authority.
“We were selected as the developer in the summer of 2020. We finished permitting in January and February of 2021," he said. "It was really like a 24 month construction process."
The ceremony brought state representatives like Edward Augustus Jr., Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Liveable Communities into town to celebrate.
“So many folks are not able to stay in communities…they find that they can’t afford anything…We want to allow people to stay and age in a place if that’s where they want to be…by investing in projects like this, we create opportunities and options for folks,” Augustus said.
Sacchetti said that something that sets Swifts Landing apart from other affordable housing developments in Wareham is the mix of family and senior housing that were created at the same time.
“Usually they’ll be family or just seniors. The fact that this is one cohesive development of these two types of housing, two types of people together in one project, makes it a big deal,” Sacchetti said,
According to Peter Teitlbaum, former Chairman of the Wareham Redevelopment Authority, the intermingling between these two groups of people will be a primary part of Swifts Landing.
“There’s a great community center, and I hope there’s a lot of intermingling between the generations here, because that’s what truly is going to make this place successful in the long term,” he said.
In the center of the development, there is a large green space with trees on both ends. The designers were able to save trees original to the area and avoided planting new ones.
According to Pennrose, Swifts Landing is already at 100% occupancy.
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