Squirrel Brand
In 2002, Just A Start (JAS) redeveloped the former Squirrel Brand factory and office buildings into 20 units of permanently affordable rental housing. The project, which included several buildings, involved historic preservation and adaptive reuse to convert the former candy factory into 18 affordable rental units. A nearby Squirrel Brand property on Harvard Street was renovated by JAS to create 3 affordable homeownership units sold to first-time homebuyers. The 18 units of permanently affordable rental housing consist of 1-, 2,- and 3-bedroom units, while the three homeownership units each have three bedrooms. As part of the Squirrel Brand project, the City also purchased and preserved an undeveloped lot alongside the former factory to preserve it as open space in a newly designed park.