Project of the Month: SV Design and Windover Construction complete Harborlight Homes’ affordable housing project - Maple Woods

Wenham, MA SV Design, an award-winning architecture and interior design firm, and Windover Construction, a leading full-service construction management firm, recently completed Harborlight Homes’ Maple Woods project.

Nestled on a quiet four-acre wooded lot, Maple Woods is a fully accessible 45-unit senior housing community managed by Harborlight, a non-profit affordable housing developer on the North Shore. As with other Harborlight Homes properties, Maple Woods is designed to support low- and fixed-income individuals. Features include roomy one-bedroom apartments each with a private balcony, a library, salon, computer room, common lounge areas, flexible space for visiting health care services, outdoor seating areas, walking paths, and a resident garden.

“We are very happy to have reached this milestone. Maple Woods represents the hard work of many project partners and donors who helped bring this to fruition,” said Andrew DeFranza, executive director of Harborlight Homes. “Designed for aging in place, it will serve vulnerable seniors for decades to come.”

Maple Woods is Wenham’s first affordable housing community and emphasizes sustainability and energy efficiency, and will be LEED Gold Certified. Key design considerations included reducing the development’s impact on the neighborhood and blending into the landscape. 

“The Windover team is proud of our partnership with Harborlight and SV Design to bring this important project to our community,” said Stuart Meurer, president and CEO of Windover Construction. “This project is a testament to true purpose-driven collaboration, and I look forward to this special place being a home for local seniors.

The project broke ground in March 2023 and took one year to complete. Close to 400 applications were received from seniors across the North Shore and Greater Boston hoping to move into one of the 45 available units intended for residents aged 62 and over living at 30% and 60% area median income levels. In addition, the project helps Wenham meet the 10% minimum requirement on the DHCD Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), sometimes referred to as “40B”.

“Maple Woods is now providing seniors with an affordable and serene setting to call home,” said Thad Siemasko, founding principal at SV Design. “In planning, we carefully considered how best to create a space here for residents to live life to the fullest, and we’re grateful to be a part of bringing this community to Wenham.”

A local funding commitment to Maple Woods of $1.25 million was made by the town of Wenham via the CPA and Wenham Affordable Housing Trust. In addition to MA DHCD, other funding partners include the Wenham Affordable Housing Trust, the Wenham Community Preservation Fund, North Shore HOME Consortium, CEDAC, Affordable Housing Trust of MA, Institution for Savings, Newburyport Bank, MA Housing Partnership, and The Life Initiative.

Maple Woods project team list: 
SV Design - architecture & interior design
Windover Construction - construction manager
Corso Plumbing & Heating - plumbing
JB Sash & Door - windows and doors
Taormina Electrical Inc. - electrical
Hancock Associates - civil engineer
Norfolk Multi-Family - cabinets and countertops

Photo credit: Marshall Dackert Photography