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By Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff
CHELSEA -- Developers with ties to Habitat for Humanity plan to invest an estimated $8 million to convert seven former Catholic parish properties, including Our Lady of the Assumption Church on Broadway, into loft-style condos for first-time home buyers.
John Judge and Tom Truong plan to remake the closed Catholic church, two schools, three convents, and a rectory into 60 to 80 units to be sold at market-rate prices, with the average unit costing $240,000, they said. ''We're interested in affordable home ownership," said Judge, 38, a former executive director of Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston, standing inside the empty church. ''That is the philosophy driving this whole project."
Said Truong, a Habitat board member, ''We have our financing and, we believe, the right construction team to keep our costs down, and keep this project affordable."
Although this will not be a Habitat project, the developers' association with the nonprofit housing developer may have won them favor with the Archdiocese of Boston, which sold them the properties last month for $2.3 million, real estate records show.
Wherever possible, the archdiocese tries to make sure the reuse of parish properties is consistent with its social mission, such as affordable housing, a spokesman said.
''The social mission of the church is always taken into account when each property is sold," said Kevin Shea, an archdiocese spokesman. ''It's important to maximize financial considerations, but also to make sure the [reuse] is consistent with the needs of the community."
There are dozens of church properties on the market as a result of the archdiocese's closure of 53 parishes over the last 18 months. The closures of the Chelsea properties, however, occurred over a number of years as part of an unrelated process.
The Chelsea properties include:
The former church, school, convent, and rectory of Our Lady of the Assumption. The church is on Broadway, but the school, convent, and rectory are behind the church on Clark Avenue. The school is leased to the city, which uses it as an alternative school. The lease expires in August.
The former convent of St. Rose of Lima Parish on Tudor Street. St. Rose Church and school on Broadway remain open. But the last four nuns living in the convent moved out in November, to a new home in Revere, according to the parish.
The former school and convent of St. Stanislaus Parish on Chestnut Street, a block from downtown. St. Stanislaus Church remains open, but their school and convent have long been vacant, the archdiocese said.
The sale of the properties, among the largest number ever sold in one community by the archdiocese, was closely watched in Chelsea.
''It's a significant amount of properties," City Manager Jay Ash said. ''And they are in very key locations. We wanted to make sure that whoever ended up with them was aware of what our housing goals are for the city."
Chelsea, one of the state's poorest cities, has a home ownership rate of 28.9 percent among its 35,080 residents, many of whom are new immigrants, according to census data. The city hopes to create more home ownership opportunities by encouraging developers to build more affordable housing.
Over the next few years, Ash said, the city hopes to increase its housing supply by 1,200 units, mostly by redeveloping old industrial properties. ''Home ownership is a priority for us," he said.
A mix of studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units is planned for the old church properties. Prices will range from $150,000 to $300,000, the developers said.
In 2005, the median selling price for a condo in Chelsea was $260,000, according to data collected by the Warren Group, which tracks real estate sales.
''There aren't too many brand new units of housing available for $240,000," Judge said. ''I think this will answer a lot of people's housing needs."
The developers, aware that many Chelsea residents have deep affection for their former parishes, don't plan to tear any of the buildings down. In fact, they hope other parishes will take the altar, statues of Jesus and Mary, and carving of God left behind in Assumption church. A statue of Mary, perched on a ledge above the main entrance, also will be given away,
''They're big, beautiful statues," said Judge, a former citywide director of the Boy Scouts in Chelsea. ''We're hoping that St. Rose, St. Stanislaus, or another parish will take them."
Judge said the old properties, many of them red brick and built in the early 20th century, are ripe for condo conversion. ''They're seven beautiful buildings," Judge said. ''They've got big windows and 12-foot-high ceilings."
The development is planned for three phases. How many units will go in each property is unclear. The city's zoning and planning boards must approve the plans. But crews are cleaning out the Assumption rectory and convent on Clark Avenue. The two properties, along with the St. Rose convent, will likely be developed first.
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