Duo project named Project of the Year; housing authority says 96 new units nearly complete

Duo, a redevelopment led by the Chelsea Housing Authority and Corcoran Company, was named Project of the Year at the All Chelsea Awards gala, and housing officials said the development replaces aging public housing with 96 new energy‑efficient, ADA‑accessible affordable units.

Paul Nowicki, executive director of the Chelsea Housing Authority, said the project is “about resident impact” and that the authority and its partners worked with city and state staff. “We’re at about 99% done and, all of our residents, have moved back,” Nowicki said.

Speakers at the gala described Duo as the first completed project in the Commonwealth Public Housing Innovations Demonstration Program cited by the ceremony. Gala remarks said the development increases housing capacity and includes mixed‑income units; a presentation at the event stated, “Replacing 96 units of aging public housing with 96 brand new energy efficient and ADA accessible affordable units inside the new class a community. Increasing housing capacity by 243, making 29 affordable.” Those numeric details were presented by the gala emcee and project partners during the award remarks.

Sean McBello and JJ Corcoran representatives, who joined housing officials onstage, credited broad community collaboration over multiple years. “The resident impact and the fact that they come back to a decent place to live… is the most rewarding aspect of this work,” Nowicki said.

Officials said the authority is already planning the next redevelopment in the Prattville and Fitzpatrick area. The gala remarks emphasized continued need for additional mixed‑income housing and thanked municipal and state partners for support.

Ending: Housing authority leaders called Duo a model of partnership between the housing authority, developers and residents and said work will continue on future mixed‑income projects.