The adaptive reuse project will transform the former St. Patrick’s Church and rectory, at 305 Broad St., into 42 affordable apartments serving low-income households earning between 30%-80% of area median income. Photo by Stephen Ide/ONE Neighborhood Builders
ONE Neighborhood Builders thanks Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island for supporting its redevelopment plans for the former St. Patrick’s Church and rectory in Cumberland. ONE|NB’s Aging Strong in Community project aims to support an aging population by creating the Sanctuary at Valley Falls.
This adaptive reuse project will transform the former church and rectory, at 305 Broad St., into 42 affordable apartments serving low-income households earning between 30%-80% of area median income. Twelve apartments will be set aside as supportive senior housing.
Our broad goal is to partner with Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Health & Human Services to help them promote “aging in place” options that decrease the need for older residents to enter skilled nursing homes when their health needs do not require the high level of care such facilities offer. We will design the apartments to meet universal mobility standards, offer supportive services, and integrate into this development proven Age Friendly concepts, designed to enable healthy aging in place.
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ONE|NB’s commitment to developing new housing models to meet an aging population’s needs has only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has especially highlighted challenges and risks when a large proportion of a community’s elderly, vulnerable residents live in nursing homes. As communities worldwide have experienced rapid COVID spread in nursing homes, we remain staunchly committed to developing customized solutions for older adults and new models of elder housing. This project will offer 12 apartments for people currently living in nursing homes whose health conditions do not require such a skilled facility—thus providing them with a higher quality of life while decreasing their Medicaid and overall health care costs.
“ONE|NB has actively worked toward a development like the Sanctuary at Valley Falls because of our deep understanding that affordable, safe, accessible, service-enriched housing is essential for older adults to age strong in their communities,” said Jennifer Hawkins, Executive Director of ONE Neighborhood Builders.
The Sanctuary at Valley Falls development in Cumberland will redevelop the former St. Patrick’s Church into 20 apartments and the rectory into 12 apartments. Twelve new construction townhomes will also be created along the street to bring back a residential neighborhood character along the Broad Street corridor. The project will incorporate a range of age-friendly concepts to enable heathy aging in place. The vacant church and rectory on the south side of the town of Cumberland is situated in the vibrant Valley Falls neighborhood. The site is near Cumberland Town Hall and is within walking distance to several dining options, grocery stores, and a pharmacy. The Blackstone Valley bike path is in proximity, and Broad Street is served by the RIPTA bus line.
