This project is funded by the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment). Beginning in December (2025) and ending in June (2026), the Horsley Witten Group, Inc. (HW) and Union Studio Architecture & Community Design (Union) will work with the Town of Merrimac and MassDevelopment to study how best to concurrently leverage the redevelopment of 28 School Street and 2 Littles Court to create needed, welcoming homes. Below is a summary of the expected work:

1: Through research, meetings, and site reconnaissance, HW will prepare an “Existing Conditions Summary Report” that can be used later to support the RFP process. Click here to see a draft of the report.

2: HW will maintain this website and the “Explore More” tool (available here) throughout the project to keep the public informed and engaged.

3: HW and Union will draft “site concepts” that visualize what types of homes could fit on the sites, what they might look like, how many bedrooms could be accommodated, potential demand on utilities, and more.

4: HW will present these documents at a Select Board meeting or other public forum and post them on this website in order to get public feedback. Keep an eye on this website for meeting dates.

5: HW and Union will ultimately provide the Town with a final report with the final site concepts, an analysis of barriers to their combined development and potential solutions, and images/descriptions of viable housing types. The Town will use the final report as the basis for its single Request for Proposals (RFP) process to seek development partners.