Could Historic Mills Address Massachusetts Housing Shortage?

Throughout Massachusetts, dozens of long-shuttered old mills await a new lease on life. 

For real estate developers like Jeff Glassman, these structures could become new residences.

“What makes the project relevant now is the need for housing,” he told The Boston Globe. Glassman is behind an effort to transform a 52,000-square-foot former textile mill in New Bedford into 50 apartments. 

Like Glassman, developers such as WinnDevelopment have transformed mills in Lowell, Holyoke, New Bedford, and beyond, delivering hundreds of housing units and demonstrating the viability of mill redevelopment. Notable examples include the Kilburn Mill in New Bedford, now housing artists and small businesses, a Holyoke alpaca wool mill converted to senior housing, and multi-use spaces like Hatch Street Studios in New Bedford.

State and local incentives, notably expanded historic tax credits, have encouraged repurposing of vacant mills, balancing historic preservation with new housing. Additionally, according to the Globe, old mills offer built-in advantages for housing, such as existing stock and the potential to reduce NIMBY opposition, especially when paired with incentives for historic rehabilitation.

Projects vary in complexity, with some mills needing environmental remediation and unconventional layouts, including converting boiler and turbine rooms into living spaces. That's the case for Glassman, who bought the former Nashawena Mills power plant and offices in New Bedford in 2019 for $350,000.

Municipal approaches to the mills range from New Bedford's mill inventories and rezoning for housing and mixed uses to Taunton's Whittenton Mills project — targeting 390 apartments with improved commuter rail — and Fall River's anticipated multiplier effects from rehabilitation.

Municipal leaders argue that successful mill redevelopment can revitalize neighborhoods, attract residents, create jobs, and preserve history. Financing and permitting, however, remain critical hurdles to bringing more mills online for housing.

“Some people that are holding on to these old mills want more money than I think they're worth, and that a developer is willing to commit to,” Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told the Globe. “But if we can put together a deal ... it turns around a neighborhood.”