New affordable housing complex breaks ground in Lincoln

LINCOLN, R.I. (WLNE) — Developers and government officials traveled to Lincoln Friday to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new affordable housing facility.

A crowd gathered in the village of Manville to celebrate what Housing Secretary Deborah Goddard said was the third major groundbreaking in three weeks.

The 72-unit apartment complex will largely be made up of affordable housing.

Lincoln Town Administrator Philip Gould said that he had been wondering since the 1990s why there was no development in the area, and he credited developers and state associates for building.

“I remember driving through, like, ‘Such a huge area, something should be done,'” he said. “Something can be done, but it doesn’t happen if you don’t have people to support it, people with the vision to make it happen.”

The project was made possible after St. James Church, located on nearby Division Street, sold the land to developers Connolly and Partners.

Four separate buildings will be built on the complex, the first three housing apartments, while the fourth will be a clubhouse shared amongst residents.

“We’ve got more to do but we’re picking up momentum,” Sen. Jack Reed said. “I think that’s the symbolism of the third groundbreaking in a month, basically. We better do more and we’ve got to be quicker about it.”

Gould agreed and said that the town’s current percentage of affordable housing needed to go up.

“I think the last assessment, we had about 8% of our affordable housing,” he said. “But that’s not enough, because we’re hiring teachers and police officers, young professionals who are trying to find somewhere to live.”

According to Connolly and Partners President John Toic, the apartments are expected to be finished in the fall of 2026.