Mass. Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities joined Synergy to celebrate Altitude Worcester

Worcester, MA Synergy celebrated the official opening of Altitude Worcester, the largest office-to-residential conversion in the state, with a ribbon cutting ceremony with Juana Matias, the Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC), and the city of Worcester. The event also marked the completion of 22 Elm St., the adjacent affordable homeownership community Synergy co-developed with The Planning Office for Urban Affairs.

Residents have moved into both buildings. First move-ins at Altitude Worcester began on August 15, bringing new neighbors to downtown.

Acquired by Synergy in 2023, Altitude Worcester converted the former Fallon Health headquarters, an 11-story office tower, into 198 apartments: 74 studios, 84 one-bedroom units and 40 two-bedroom units.

The delivery timeline was notably aggressive. Fallon Health did not vacate until its lease expired at the end of March 2025, giving Synergy 16 months to complete the conversion. A comparable ground-up development would typically take at least two years. Synergy’s ability to hit that schedule reflects its track record of repositioning office assets, pairing ownership, leasing and hands-on property management to bring residents and everyday life back into evolving central business districts.

Next door, Synergy and The Planning Office for Urban Affairs, a Massachusetts nonprofit housing developer, converted the four-story Two Chestnut Place into 22 affordable for sale condominiums. The homes are income-restricted to no more than 80% of Area Median Income, creating lasting affordable homeownership opportunities in downtown for the first time in more than 30 years. The first residents moved in earlier in October.

“MassHousing is thrilled for the new homeowners who have put down roots in downtown Worcester and are enjoying all the benefits of homeownership,” said MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay. “We were pleased to partner in this effort to take a former office building and create brand new homes where residents will breathe new life to the area and have immediate access to all the downtown has to offer.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to expand our affordable housing portfolio of over 3,200 units of affordable housing into affordable homeownership,” said Bill Grogan, president of the Planning Office for Urban Affairs. “At POUA we believe strongly in the opportunity for residents to build equity, and we are grateful for the partnership of Synergy Boston to transform this historic building into homes that residents can afford and own.”

“Altitude Worcester set out to prove that large-scale office-to-residential conversion could work in Massachusetts, and to do it with real, lasting affordability,” said David Greaney, founder and CEO of Synergy. “Today, residents are calling 24 and 22 Elm home, and downtown Worcester has new neighbors supporting its restaurants and businesses every day. We’re grateful to Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, the City of Worcester and The Planning Office for Urban Affairs for their partnership. Conversions are one of the fastest tools we have to add housing, and this project shows what’s possible when the public and private sectors pull in the same direction.”