PORTSMOUTH — Fresh off the opening of a $26 million affordable senior housing complex and new senior center, Church Community Housing Corporation has received another major boost for its efforts to expand housing opportunities in Portsmouth.

The nonprofit developer has been awarded more than $2.1 million in state funding toward the construction of 37 affordable condominiums on two lots in the Sprague Street, Bristol Ferry Road and East Main Road area.

The $2,126,108 award was among $12.7 million in grants announced Thursday by Gov. Dan McKee and Secretary of Housing Deborah Goddard through the state's Housing 2030 Entry-Level Homeownership Program.

Unlike Church Community Housing's recently completed Ade Bethune House, which provides affordable rental apartments for older residents, the new development would give qualifying households an opportunity to purchase their own homes.

The proposed development calls for two condominium buildings. The northern lot would feature 12 units in a walk-up building, while the southern lot would contain 25 units in a building with elevator access.

The condominiums would include one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, with proposed sale prices ranging from $200,000 to $395,000, depending on unit size and the buyer's income eligibility.

The homes would be available to households earning between 80% and 120% of the area's median income. State funding will directly support 22 of the 37 condominiums.

The award represents another significant investment in affordable housing in Portsmouth, where high real estate prices have made homeownership increasingly difficult for many working families and younger residents.

Building on Ade Bethune House

The announcement comes just over a week after Church Community Housing celebrated the grand opening of Ade Bethune House and the new Portsmouth Senior Center at 112 Bristol Ferry Road.

That development, constructed by Behan Bros., features 54 affordable rental apartments for older residents, along with a modern senior center offering a library, fitness room, game room, multipurpose gathering spaces and other amenities.

The project replaced the town's aging senior center through an arrangement that included a 99-year ground lease. Town officials have emphasized that the development required no direct town cash contribution and is expected to generate more than $75,000 annually in property taxes.

At the Oct. 21 grand opening, Church Community Housing Executive Director Christian Belden and Town Administrator Richard Rainer Jr. celebrated the completion of a project that had faced years of public debate and criticism.

The new condominium proposal would expand the nonprofit's Portsmouth housing portfolio beyond affordable rentals to include homeownership opportunities.

Together, the two developments would account for 91 new homes in Portsmouth — 54 rental apartments for seniors and 37 condominiums for qualifying buyers — although the condominium project has not yet been built.

Statewide housing push

The Portsmouth award was part of the second and final round of funding under the state's $20 million Housing 2030 Entry-Level Homeownership Program, financed through the 2024 housing bond.

The latest awards will support 10 developments in nine Rhode Island municipalities, totaling 207 homes. Of those, 161 will be directly supported by program funding, with prices below $400,000 and income limits of up to 120% of area median income.

Another Aquidneck Island development received the largest award in this round.

Marathon Development LLC was awarded nearly $3.24 million for Aquidneck Green in Middletown, a planned development of 36 three-bedroom homes using modular construction. Proposed sale prices range from $353,800 to $399,999.

McKee announced the awards at the future Aquidneck Green site in Middletown.

“Homeownership has been a top priority of my administration,” McKee said, noting that housing permits statewide have increased 150% since 2021.

Goddard said the two rounds of funding have now supported 377 homes statewide, including 249 intended to be affordable to households earning no more than 120% of area median income.

The administration is also seeking voter approval of Question 2 on the Nov. 3 ballot, a proposed housing bond that would include an additional $25 million for affordable homeownership development.

The Portsmouth condominium project's construction timetable and anticipated completion date were not included in the state's announcement.