Fitchburg housing built on city’s past
For former mill cities, developing housing to meet the burgeoning demand has always been a question of space.
Dealing with urban areas with little remaining open land, development by necessity has focused on repurposing structures that have outlived their original intent.
Now better known as a gateway city, Fitchburg has dealt with this density drawback, which also confronts Lowell and Lawrence to similar degrees.
Lately, those two cities have benefitted by their partnership with visionary entrepreneur Sal Lupoli, whose rehabilitation of buildings tied to their industrial past has created significant residential and commercial development.
Starting in 2003, Lupoli has transformed the downtrodden Lawrence riverfront with his Riverwalk project, phase 1 of which created 1.2million square feet of new development and 2,000 jobs out of boarded-up old mill buildings.
Continuing with his latest project, the Pavilion at Riverwalk, his 20-year timeline to revitalize that gateway city continues.
In Lowell, Lupoli purchased the Comfort Bedding and Furniture Co. building on Thorndike Street in 2014.
After finally getting the necessary building permits in place, it took just two years to complete the first phase of the Thorndike Exchange, which included retail space and 65 market-rate apartments adjacent to Lowell’s MBTA train station.
Lupoli Cos. continue to play a significant role in Lowell with commitments in the city’s Hamilton Canal Innovation District, with an agreement in place to develop five of the District’s parcels, including the construction of a 500-space parking garage.
On a smaller but no less significant scale, that’s what two developers have set out to accomplish in Fitchburg.
For nearly a century, the
Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works called Fitchburg home. But since the company’s departure in 1971, the industrial property on River Street has sat vacant.
However, through the efforts of Rich Darche and Aldo Mazzaferro, it will soon be reborn.
Partners at Iver Mills Residences, Darche and Mazzaferro plan to transform the former manufacturing space into 80,000 square feet of highquality housing, including 44 one-bedroom, 15 two-bedroom and six studio apartments.
Furthermore, they intend to do so by keeping the architecture of the property intact, creating a fusion of “old and new” that they hope will attract both prospective tenants while maintaining the character of Fitchburg’s cityscape.
Darche described the chance to bring the property “back to life” as a “can’t miss” opportunity and said he and Mazzaferro were excited to take part in the city’s “revitalization.” Mazzaferro, a Leominster native, said he relished the opportunity to give back to the community.
“is a place that has undergone a major, positive transition in the last few years, and we wanted to be a part of that,” Darche told the newspaper.
“The property was an eyesore, just sort of ugly and falling apart,” Mazzaferro said. “We saw an opportunity to do these historic structures a bit of justice and make a huge difference in the community as far as housing opportunities.”
Unfortunately, the purchase came with some unanticipated expenses. Environmental concerns were “far beyond” what they expected. Coupled with a pandemic that significantly increased costs, it took years before the project took shape after purchasing it in May 2018.
But their persistence paid off. “Aldo and I have been in the business world a long time,” Darche said, “and we weren’t going to let a few surprises here and there stop us from working on what we believe is going to be an awesome project.”
The partners expect construction and restoration work to start soon and barring further “monkey wrenches,” the property should be ready to occupy by late 2024.
Darche and Mazzaferro led city and state officials, including Mayor Stephen Dinatale and state Sen. John Cronin, on a site tour March 6. For them, it marked the impending transformation of a long dilapidated structure and in a larger sense, another step in the city’s revitalization.
Dinatale touched on the housing project’s potential to spur commercial development in the area. Cronin said he was excited to see the DarcheMazzaferro project “come together” with other recent investments to turn Fitchburg into a “destination” city.
Turning brick-and-mortar eyesores into coveted housing and magnets for business expansion.
That’s an urban blueprint to follow.