New housing rises from ashes: Meadowbrook resurrects building
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NORTHAMPTON - The only smoke emanating from Meadowbrook Apartments Thursday afternoon came, happily, from a barbecue.
That's a far cry from 16 months ago, when fear spread as fast as the fire that destroyed one of the apartment complex's many buildings and left 22 people without a home.
Fear was nowhere to be found Thursday, as officials and residents gathered for a ceremony to mark the opening of a new, 12-unit apartment building constructed in the same spot where the old structure stood.
The ceremony drew leaders from Preservation of Affordable Housing, the Boston-based organization that owns the complex at 491 Bridge Road in Florence; city officials and, perhaps most important, many of the 500 residents who call Meadowbrook home.
"The housing is back and is better than ever. We're proud to make that happen," said Amy S. Anthony, president of the POAH.
Residents were equally as proud, and many said so as they gobbled up hamburgers, hot dogs and cotton candy provided by Meadowbrook staff.
"It's like spring, a time for renewal," said Sharon LaFlam, one of dozens of Meadowbrook residents present. "It's a great building."
Mayor Clare Higgins recalled how worried she was about the future of the families most directly affected by the fire, and the entire complex in general.
"That was a scary day that day," she said.
She cast an upbeat tone during brief remarks Thursday, pointing out the number of families who are able to live and work in Northampton in large part because they have affordable places to live, like Meadowbrook. She credited POAH and similar organizations for that.
Missing tenants
The fire that destroyed Building No. 21 - the first structure people see upon entering the complex off Bridge Road - was ignited when a tenant threw a cigarette butt into a trash can. Work to rebuild has been ongoing since November, with the first tenants beginning to move in about a month ago.
Meadowbrook property managers said that all 12 of the units in the new, three-story building are occupied or spoken for, including four handicapped-accessible dwellings on the main floor.
"It used to be the first eyesore you saw when you drove into the complex, and now it's a beautiful building," said Michael Donovan, regional property supervisor for POAH.
As he polished off a soda Thursday, Kevin Marshall, who has lived at Meadowbrook for 27 years, recalled that fateful day.
"It was pretty scary," said Marshall, who said he was one of the first people to see the fire and call 911. "It's changed a lot. The building is nice, but I miss my friends."
Marshall knew several of the tenants who lost their homes in the fire. While no one was injured, several animals died and valuable possessions were lost.
If one thing was missing from Thursday's celebration, it was those original tenants. Of the 22 people who were forced to find other places to live over the last year and a half, only one returned to the building, said Danielle Kelly, property manager. He didn't attend the ceremony.
Three other families that moved to units within Meadowbrook decided not to relocate to the new building, even though they had first options to do so. Several others found new housing, either through the Northampton Housing Authority or on their own. One family went on to buy a house with help from community donations.
That left room for new tenants like Olivia Connor to move in. The former Franklin County resident knew the new building was one of the few in the area to include one-bedroom units. Like dozens of others, she submitted an application and was selected for a second-floor unit.
"It's real nice," she said.
Other tenants were happy to see the new building finished, although some wished they could have moved in.
"It's gorgeous. It's nicer than ours," joked Flo Kryzak, a four-year Meadowbrook resident.
New features
While it looks similar to the old structure, the new Building 21 has a few new features. In order to make four of the units accessible, the building's main-floor apartments had to be built at ground level as opposed to partially below grade like other units throughout Meadowbrook, said Julie Creamer, project manager for POAH.
Additionally, Building 21 was redesigned to meet present-day building codes, including sprinklers for fire suppression and handicapped accessibility. That's something the other units don't have because they were built in the '70s. The building also meets new electrical and energy codes, including appliances, fixtures and insulation.
Meadowbrook Apartments contains 252 units with about 500 residents. The property was built in the mid-1970s with a loan from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that restricted rents to affordable levels. POAH bought the property in the summer of 2004 and has spent nearly $4 million on renovations since then, including significant work to make the buildings more watertight. Many kitchens and baths were upgraded and the community building received substantial improvements to its accessibility.
POAH operates 6,600 affordable rental units for the elderly, disabled and low-income working families in nine states and the District of Columbia.
Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.
