A formal groundbreaking was held in Brockton last week for one of several redevelopment projects that city officials hope will begin to breathe life back into their city’s downtown.
Capstone Communities LLC is budgeting $9 million to transform the Knight building on Montello Street into Station Lofts, consisting of 25 mixed-income residential apartments, said Jason Korb, a principal with the company. He said there will be surface and garage parking, a fitness center and storage for residents, and on-site management.
The former industrial building, located one block from the MBTA commuter rail station, will be rehabilitated in accordance with Massachusetts Historical Commission and National Park Service standards, he said. The Knight building, vacant for more than a decade, is the former home of the Stall and Dean Sporting Goods Co., where it is believed the first baseball catcher’s mitt was invented.
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Korb said he secured financing last month for the project from a mix of public and private sources, as well as the use of housing and historic preservation tax credits. It is expected to create 46 jobs.
“I am proud to consider myself a property owner in Brockton,’’ he said.
Mayor Linda Balzotti said Station Lofts is an important investment in the redevelopment of Brockton’s downtown.
“And it’s been a textbook example of the benefits that communication and collaboration can have,” she said.
Close by, another historic building at the center of Trinity Financial’s $100 million redevelopment project has not fared so well. Demolition on the 122-year-old Gardner building began recently, and a new structure with features of the old one will be constructed to anchor a mix of apartments, retail, and commercial space, and a 325-space parking garage.
On Tuesday Keith Construction Inc., the construction management company for the Station Lofts project, will host a job fair for construction trades needed for the project from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the basement function room at St. Edith Stein Church, 71 East Main St., Brockton. Applications are being accepted for jobs in all construction trades, including laborers, carpenters, painters, floor layers, plumbers, and electricians.
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The Canton-based company is encouraging local residents to apply but has said the final application review and selection will be conducted by subcontractors working on the project.
Work began in January and is expected to be completed by October, company officials said.
Michele Morgan Bolton can be reached at michelebolton@live.com.