LYNN — Element Care, David Solimine Jr., and 2Life Communities are working together to develop affordable housing for seniors, which will be connected by a walkway to the newly constructed Element Care PACE site.
The project is expected to start construction in spring 2025 and be open for applications in 2027 to those 62 and older. Apartments at the Solimine House will be affordable to applicants with incomes up to 60% of the area median income, which is $56,400 for a one-person household and $64,440 for a two-person household, according to 2Life Communities’ website.
The Solimine House will create 150 affordable-housing units at 500 Lynnfield St., where the Union Hospital used to be in service. The site will also host two residential apartments for case managers who will provide off-hours support to residents.
The project is now fully funded after it received $1 million in federal funding in the fiscal year 2024 budget for its Village Center. Recently, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and Ward 1 City Councilor Dr. Peter Meaney visited the Element Care PACE center ahead of construction, 2Life Communities Director of Real Estate Lisa Kozol said.
In a press release from 2Life Communities, Moulton said he was proud to secure the $1 million to complete the construction.
“Everyone deserves to be able to age with dignity. Part of that is ensuring our seniors can access the support and care they deserve,” Moulton said. “With the help of these new, supportive housing options from 2Life Communities, we can ensure our elderly neighbors can afford to retire in the place they call home.”
Kozol said the Village Center, which will be approximately 10,000 square feet, is designed to be a flexible space for seniors to develop a community.
She said in addition to the area having an open space, it will also have the ability to be separated into sections for fitness classes; arts and crafts; and other activities.
“We also have big holiday meals, and so we want big spaces, because all of our residents come and enjoy holidays together, and it’s really joyful and a great time for everybody,” Kozol said.
2Life Chief of Advocacy Emily Levine said the Village Center was the “secret sauce” to senior housing and it can look different in every community.
“We just fundamentally believe that older adults deserve to age really well and in community, and the way that we approach that is by leveraging scale and leveraging density in a broader physical space,” Levine said.
She said the Solimine House is a perfect example of the state, federal government, and local community putting their resources “where they need to be fundamentally,” adding she hopes to see more examples of this in the future.
The Solimine House is named after Solimine’s parents, Mary Jane and David Solimine Sr. David Solimine Jr., a local developer and philanthropist, partnered with 2Life Communities to ensure the former hospital’s location was used for affordable senior housing.
“He was committed to ensuring that part of it was redeveloped into senior housing,” Levine said.
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