OneHolyoke CDC Seeks Applicants for Three Homes for Sale in Holyoke

HOLYOKE — OneHolyoke CDC is seeking qualified applicants for three Holyoke homes that the organization has for sale, with purchasers being selected through a lottery process with the goal of increasing housing affordability in Holyoke. The homes are each priced at $225,000, below market rate, and located at 278 Pine St., 291 Walnut St., and 299 Walnut St.

Qualified applicants who meet certain guidelines — including having a household income not exceeding 80% of the median income level, committing to living in the home for a minimum of 10 years, and completing a first-time homebuyer education course — will receive a lottery number from OneHolyoke, with three applicants being selected at random who will be offered the opportunity to purchase one of the three homes. A completed application and all necessary paperwork is required to receive a lottery number.

Information about the homes for sale, the lottery process, and the application can be found at www.oneholyoke.org/homes-for-sale. Through this lottery process, OneHolyoke works to increase housing availability and affordability in the footprint it serves in the city.

OneHolyoke will host a Facebook Live Q&A session on the OneHolyoke CDC Facebook page on Friday, July 26 for those interested to find out more information about the lottery process. The English session will be held at 4 p.m., and a session in Spanish will be held at 5 p.m.

All three homes for sale are duplex, two-family homes, and two of the homes are newly built (291 Walnut St. and 299 Walnut St.). The 278 Pine St. home is the former Yankee Pedlar restaurant and inn that was moved by OneHolyoke to its current location in an effort to save and restore the historic home.

“Our mission in serving the Flats, South Holyoke, and Churchill neighborhoods is to provide more affordable housing to more people in these core neighborhoods,” said Michael Moriarty, executive director of One Holyoke. “The lottery we are holding to identify possible buyers of these homes is a step in that direction. We believe investments in creating affordable housing in these neighborhoods will encourage other needed housing-stock investments.”