Springfield committee draws 10 winners for historic homes restoration lottery

Karen, the committee’s administrator, said the Community Preservation Committee placed 262 eligible homeowner addresses into a random draw and that $300,000 in lottery funds are available for direct grants to owners of eligible historic properties. “This year, we have 262 addresses that met the resident requirement for this drawing,” Karen said. She told members that the program provides a maximum grant of $30,000 and a minimum of $15,000 per household, and that winning homes must complete exterior work in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior standards for historic properties.

The committee explained how the draw works: winners are selected by a randomized generator that assigns the 262 addresses an order; the first 10 addresses will be contacted and, if a selected homeowner is ineligible or declines, the committee will contact the next address on the list until funds are depleted. Karen said the 10 winners will be contacted within a few days and congratulated the selected homeowners.

The program is funded through the Community Preservation Act and Springfield’s CPA allocations. Committee members noted the program’s uniqueness, saying Springfield’s CPA is one of the few in the Commonwealth to give direct grants to homeowners of historic properties. The committee did not take further action beyond conducting the draw; next steps are for staff to notify winners and complete eligibility checks.