Working with the City and Town Governments
As a non-profit developer, Common Ground Development Corporation (CGDC) works with city and town governments to find ways to increase the supply of low and moderate income housing without building large numbers of market rate units that tax the infrastructure and contribute to sprawl. CGDC has met with officials from Billerica, Dracut, Tyngsboro, Dunstable, Westford, Carlisle, Groton, Acton, Wayland and Hamilton as well as Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Amesbury and Methuen to seek solutions to the lack of affordable housing in Massachusetts. Towns are encouraged to develop housing production plans and assess their needs in a comprehensive way. In some cases, state and federal tax credits funded through LIHTC offer a reasonable solution, in others, State and quazi-state assisted financing is available for projects aimed at building affordable family, individual and senior units. Certain historic buildings can be turned into housing with the help of Massachusetts Historic Credits.
Finding Resources and Arranging Financing
As a non-profit developer, Common Ground Development Corporation (CGDC) works with city and town governments to find ways to increase the supply of low and moderate income housing without building large numbers of market rate units that tax the infrastructure and contribute to sprawl. CGDC has met with officials from Billerica, Dracut, Tyngsboro, Dunstable, Westford, Carlisle, Groton, Acton, Wayland and Hamilton as well as Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Amesbury and Methuen to seek solutions to the lack of affordable housing in Massachusetts. Towns are encouraged to develop housing production plans and assess their needs in a comprehensive way. In some cases, state and federal tax credits funded through LIHTC offer a reasonable solution, in others, State and quazi-state assisted financing is available for projects aimed at building affordable family, individual and senior units. Certain historic buildings can be turned into housing with the help of Massachusetts Historic Credits.
Assembling the Team
CGDC works with a host of professionals like architects, engineers, development consultants, construction contractors, historic consultants, lawyers and bankers and can assemble a team with the right expertise dedicated to the particular project at hand. In addition, Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI) has staff capacity to assist with the administrative tasks such as document assembly, fiscal management, invoicing, file management and reporting that are necessary for project completion.
Managing the Project
Common Ground has the experience and expertise to take a project from start to finish from initial meetings with municipal boards and residents to developing the concept, arranging financing to managing construction, dealing with unforeseen occurrences and completing the paperwork to bring the project in on time and within budget.
Property Management
In projects where the housing is rental, CGDC contracts with Peabody Properties, Inc. to provide expert property management to maintain the building and grounds and ensure the tenants have a safe, decent and affordable place to live. Peabody Properties handles over 10,000 units statewide and is well versed in all phases of property management including Low-Income Housing Tax Credit properties.
Working with Partners
Internally, in addition to working with its parent corporation CTI, Common Ground also works with another CTI subsidiary, Community Housing, Inc. (CHI). CHI is a non-profit corporation that has the expertise to help first-time home buyers get into home-ownership. CHI also assists with lotteries and marketing of newly built units that are for sale.
Externally, CGDC partners with state and local officials, various financial institutions, industry professionals, other statewide non-profits and local affordable housing committees and housing authorities in order to work toward its mission to create and preserve affordable housing in its service area.
