A new project could help address Arlington’s housing affordability struggle.
The nonprofit Housing Corporation of Arlington bought three buildings along Massachusetts Avenue and Newman Way last month to create more affordable housing units. The $23 million purchase is funded in part by more than $5 million in subsidies and grants from the town of Arlington.
“Arlington sorely needs affordable housing,” said Erica Schwarz, the housing group’s executive director. “This crisis of affordability just keeps getting worse.” The average home price in Arlington has hit $885,000, a 5 percent increase over the past year. That is a price that half of Arlington’s households, which have a median annual income of $141,4400, cannot afford.
The properties at 840-846 Mass. Ave. and 17 Newman Way are located across Mass. Ave. from Arlington High School and the CVS pharmacy. The three buildings house 59 apartments, and the HCA plans to build more than 35 additional units on the site, Schwarz said. While the project is in its early stages, the HCA expects the first phase – renovating and updating existing units – to start next month. Tenants will not be displaced during this phase, she said. Crews could be seen working in the main lobby of 846 Mass. Ave. late last week.
Many units will be income-restricted. The HCA has not determined rents for the building.
The apartment buildings had been involved in a five-year battle over rent between tenants and owner Torrington Properties, which bought the buildings in 2019.
After rent negotiations between the tenants association and Torrington failed, rents started to rapidly increase, said Laura Frost, a longtime tenant who was a leader of the tenants union. When tenants refused to pay the higher rents, Torrington issued several eviction notices, she said. The battle ended in housing court last year with Torrington dropping all eviction charges.
Torrington did not respond to repeated calls and messages from YourArlington.
Frost said tenants heard last year that Torrington wanted to sell the buildings. The tenant association had previously reached out to the HCA, asking it to buy their building; it now seemed like a real possibility.
“We lived on pins and needles for a year, because it took a full year for HCA to knit together a package that was acceptable to Torrington,” Frost said. “It really sank in for me when the deal closed and the Torrington signs came out of the lobby.”
A certain amount of luck came into play in getting the project started. The HCA, with funds from the town and subsidized loans, came up with the millions to buy the property, Schwarz said. The property lies within a boundary that qualifies it for the MTBA Communities Catalyst Fund, which provides funding to communities that have adopted zoning for multifamily housing.
“Sometimes we get caught up in the big policy discussions, and you can forget about the individual people who are impacted when our housing policy actually plays out,” Newton said. “In this case, the individual residents are getting some certainty about their housing situation, and that’s awesome.”
This project alone will not solve the region-wide housing crisis, Newton said. Both short- and long-term changes need to be made, like building more housing and finding ways to keep Arlington affordable for current residents.
“Housing is so foundational, not just because of the pressure it puts on your finances, but it is so tied to the amount of stress you have in your life,” Schwarz said. The numbers are important, but the impact housing can have on one person can be profound.”
This story, originally published on Oct. 26, 2025, is part of a partnership between YourArlington and the Boston University Department of Journalism.