Governor Maura Healey announced state awards totaling about $182,000,000 in tax credits and subsidies intended to create nearly 1,300 new homes across Massachusetts, naming Winchester’s Waterfield Commons among 21 awardees and noting 56 units will be built there.

The funding was announced at a public event in Winchester where local officials and developers marked the town’s newly renovated Winchester Center commuter rail station and the upcoming Waterfield Commons transit‑oriented project. “We are building housing, and we’re gonna keep building housing,” Governor Maura Healey said, adding the state is working to lower housing costs as it increases production.

Why it matters: State officials said the awards are part of the administration’s Affordable Homes Act programs and related tax‑credit expansions that officials credit with spurring housing production. Secretary Augustus, Massachusetts secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, said the administration’s programs have produced more than 6,000 affordable rental units under construction or rehabilitation and highlighted other tools including a momentum fund and surplus‑land inventory to accelerate future projects.

Officials gave project and program details: the announced package uses Affordable Homes Act resources and recent tax‑credit changes to allocate roughly $182 million across 21 sites, producing nearly 1,300 homes in communities from Boston and Cambridge to New Bedford and Worcester. Secretary Augustus said the momentum fund has supported predevelopment of nearly 500 units and that an inventory of more than 450 acres of surplus state‑owned land could support development of about 3,500 units statewide.

Waterfield Commons in Winchester: Developer Causeway Civico (represented at the event by Dave Trigorth) said Waterfield Commons will bring 56 apartments next to the commuter rail station and described the project as “passive house design,” all‑electric and energy efficient. “Forty of our 56 apartments will be affordable to families earning 60% below area median income,” Trigorth said. Officials at the event reiterated that the project follows years of local planning, two town meeting votes and a townwide referendum to clear the way for transit‑oriented housing on the town‑owned parcel behind the new station.

Local and legislative context: Michelle Pryor, chair of the Winchester Select Board, reviewed Winchester’s recent housing actions — creation of an Affordable Housing Trust in 2019, adoption of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaw in 2022, and approval of the Community Preservation Act in 2024 — and said the town has passed overlay zoning and rezoned North Main Street to create mixed‑use opportunities near transit. Sen. Jason Lewis and Rep. Michael (Mike) Day, who spoke at the event, thanked the administration and cited the MBTA Communities Act and recent state investments as drivers of local projects.

Project schedule and next steps: Officials and the developer described the award as a financing milestone. The remarks and materials at the event did not specify final construction start dates or detailed permitting timelines for Waterfield Commons; those items remain subject to local permitting, MBTA coordination and developer scheduling.

Funding and affordability specifics mentioned at the event: the state awards package will fund projects in at least 21 communities; specific unit counts announced included 354 units across six projects in Boston, 95 in Cambridge, 96 in Stoughton, 56 in Winchester (Waterfield Commons), and smaller awards in communities including Foxborough, Framingham, Hadley, Holyoke, Lee, Malden, New Bedford, Topsfield, Wareham and Worcester. Secretary Augustus said about 90% of the units funded in this announcement will be guaranteed affordable for seniors and families in 16 communities. The momentum fund and ADU permitting were described as additional, complementary tools for expanding housing supply.

What officials said about remaining challenges: Governor Healey and legislative leaders framed the funding as one element of a broader push to build housing across the state and to lower costs, while acknowledging the work required at the local level to realize projects. Rep. Michael Day described the project as a “true public‑private partnership” and thanked town staff and volunteers for their role in preparing the site.

Officials present said they would be available after the event for media questions and photos.