A large-scale redevelopment of an aging public housing complex is moving forward in Revere.
Revere Housing Authority on Coolledge Street in Revere
Revere Housing Authority submitted a proposal with the city to create a Coolledge Street Smart Growth Overlay District over approximately 39 hectares of site, paving the way for a project of 1,700 units, according to the September 30 memorandum of the RHA. Housing authorities presented their proposal to the Revere City Council last week, the Revere Journal first reported.
The redevelopment will replace 431 public housing units on the site with 790 new public housing units – plus 910 market-rate units.
Of the new public housing units, 570 will be family units and 220 will be set aside for the elderly and disabled. The project will also have public open spaces and community facilities.
The proposed district has Cooledge Street running through the center and is bounded by Cushman Avenue, Gordon Road, Proctor Avenue and Broadway. Located across the street from Revere’s main business district on Broadway.
Earlier this year, RHA completed a comprehensive master planning process, in which they set out a long-term vision for the community through mixed-income neighborhood redevelopment. Redevelopment is planned to take place in phases over the next five to 25 years.
The city is creating a similar smart growth district in other neighborhoods on Green Street and Shirley Avenue by 2023.
This smart growth district is part of the state’s Chapter 40R program, which was implemented in 2004 to encourage housing production near transportation, commercial areas and existing infrastructure to promote affordability and mixed-use development. The overlay will allow property owners to use basic zoning or the new smart growth zoning.
RHA said the district could allow Revere to receive zoning incentives and density bonus payments.
The housing agency has yet to say whether it will bring in a private developer to build market-rate homes.
A similar project is underway in Boston, where the Boston Housing Authority has partnered with private developers to build mixed-use projects on public housing properties.
WinCos. in June 2025 broke ground on the first residential building as part of the $1B Mary Ellen McCormack housing redevelopment in Boston. In total, the development will replace all 1,016 public housing units and build an additional 2,284 rental units.
In April, Leggat McCall secured a $122M loan for the second building in the $1.4B Bunker Hill Housing redevelopment. In total, the project will provide nearly 2,700 housing units, including replacing 1,010 very affordable housing units.