Delivering Much-Needed, Mixed-Income Housing to Salem
Forest River Residences is a proposed redevelopment project to transform part of Salem State University’s 23-acre South Campus into new apartment communities that will help meet the intense demand for housing in and around the City of Salem.
The project will deliver a variety of mixed-income housing, including more than 100 units for active seniors ages 55 and older. Overall, more than 30 percent of the 475 apartment homes planned for the site will be affordable to households with incomes ranging from 30 to 80 percent of Area Median Income.
More than 15 acres of the development site will be devoted to open space, trails and conservation areas that would connect to the existing, adjacent trail network, the Forest River Conservation Area, for residents of the new community and the public.
The proposed development aligns with the City's Imagine Salem 2026 goals, including offering a variety of new, sustainably designed housing options for mixed incomes and ages, and with SSU BOLD: A Campus Unification and Modernization Project, which seeks to establish “a compact and efficient campus core” for the University.
AvalonBay Communities, a longtime developer and manager of apartment communities in Massachusetts, and WinnDevelopment, the development arm of Boson-based WinnCompanies, are the designated developers for the project.
Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026, following an extensive approval process involving city and state officials.