Town Farm Historic Buildings Become Senior Homes

A historic poor farm is turning into senior housing in Westford — and that’s the real news here. Not just that the town wants more housing, but that a long-stalled, emotionally loaded property finally has the money to move. In mid-April, Westford and CHOICE, Inc. said the state had awarded funding to redevelop 35 Town Farm Road into 35 mixed-income homes for residents 62 and older, plus space for the town food pantry. That takes the project out of the “good idea” stage and into the part where timelines start to matter. ### What exactly is Town Farm? Town Farm is one of those old New England municipal sites with a heavy backstory. Westford’s property at 35 Town Farm Road includes an 1837 Federal-style brick building and a later 1901 addition. Historically, it served as a town farm or almshouse — basically a place tied to public care for poor residents — which is why locals have treated the site as more than just another empty building. ### What changed now? The big shift is money. Westford and CHOICE had already spent years lining up the preservation plan, local approvals, and development partner. The April 2026 state award means the Commonwealth is now backing the redevelopment financially, which town officials framed as a major milestone after years when the buildings had no settled future and even faced possible demolition. ### What are they building? The approved plan is pretty specific. It preserves the original historic building, creates 35 mixed-income senior residences, includes units for extremely low-income seniors, and relocates Westford’s food pantry to the site. So this is not luxury housing dressed up as preservation. It’s an adaptive-reuse project with a social-service angle built in. ### Why seniors? Because this solves a very local problem. Westford has been trying to add places where older residents can stay in town without needing a large house, a major renovation, or a move far from family and services. Back in 2019, a town task force unanimously recommended their conclusion. ### Why preserve the old buildings at all? Because demolition would have been easier, but also a loss. The town spent years steering the site toward reuse instead — public tours in 2020, preservation commitments by early 2021, and restrictions meant to protect key architectural features. The pitch is simple: keep the property ### Who’s actually doing this? Westford picked CHOICE, Inc. through an RFP process to lead redevelopment. The state’s broader housing announcement also tied the Westford project to SCG Development Partners working with CHOICE, which suggests the nonprofit is part of a larger development team handling financing and execution. Basically, the town is not building and operating this alone. ### When could people move in? The rough timeline looks surprisingly near-term. A March 2026 task-force update said closing could take about three months after award letters, construction could begin in late June 2026, tenant marketing could start in March 2027, and construction could wrap by July 2027. That schedule can always slip, but it shows the project is much closer to shovels than to sketches. ### So why does this matter beyond one building? Because it shows what small-town housing policy looks like when it actually lands. Westford didn’t just save a historic property. It found a way to turn a site with public meaning into housing for older residents, with affordability and food access folded in. The bottom line is that Town Farm stopped being a preservation debate and became a real housing project.