New apartments and fewer vacant storefronts as Gardner seeks more housing

Gardner’s downtown is seeing new housing and fewer empty storefronts, Mayor Nicholson said, citing a conversion of the former Gardner News building into roughly 16 market-rate apartments and a decline in downtown vacancies from more than 40 to about 10.

Tony Molina of Molina Realty converted the former Gardner News building into one- and two-bedroom apartments that the mayor said will include utilities and internet in the rent and have rear parking. The mayor said demand is strong: Molina received about 427 applications for five apartments in another downtown building.

Mayor Nicholson framed the housing trend as driven by population growth — he said Gardner’s population rose by about 5% (roughly 1,100 residents) in the past 15 years while the annual number of homes on the market decreased by roughly 21% — and said the city will examine ways to increase housing supply and reduce permitting friction.

Why this matters: New downtown housing can increase foot traffic for local businesses and respond to rising demand, but the mayor said the city must balance housing supply with infrastructure and services.

Details: The mayor highlighted two new downtown businesses (Tata’s Fonda restaurant at the former Crown Chicken site and Artisans and More artist co-op in the former Shower Glass location) and said the city’s vacant-storefront revitalization districts, established in 2022, have helped reduce vacancies.

Ending: The mayor thanked developers and business owners for investment in downtown and said the city will continue seeking ways to expand housing and support business growth.