What is going to happen with the Capitol Theater? Big plans are in store in the North End

Changes are in store for the historic Capitol Theater as it develops into a neighborhood center to meet the needs of diverse groups of community members.

The Capitol Theater, a two-story brick building at 1418-1440 Acushnet Ave., was built in 1920. It was originally designed as a multi-use building to include street-level storefronts, second-floor office spaces and a single-screen, 1,500-set movie theater.

What are the plans for the former theater?

The building has been vacant since the 1970s. It will be restored and transformed into six affordable rental apartments and will also provide commercial space that will house small businesses and health and neighborhood services.

The Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts acquired the historic building, located within an environmental justice census block near New Bedford’s North End, several years ago.

The CEDC is planning on developing the Capitol Theater as a resilience hub by renting storefronts for local businesses, including a community credit union and local market space; six affordable housing units on the second floor, and use of the larger former theater space to house its current community services office, as well as classroom space for English learning, job training and life skills. CEDC is also hoping to develop a commercial kitchen that will serve several purposes.

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What is the new source of funding?

The CEDC is receiving funding through a new round of Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency Neighborhood Stabilization Program capital grants. MassHousing is charged with providing funding for affordable housing in the state.

MassHousing administers the Neighborhood Stabilization Program on behalf of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

The program prioritizes projects that will have the greatest impact in weaker markets, including rural communities and communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also prioritizes projects that promote homeownership and climate-resilient design, and projects that include diverse sponsors.

All homes created or rehabilitated through the program will remain affordable for at least 15 years.

Locally, the city's Community Preservation Committee voted this year to recommend approval of $250,000 to the New Bedford City Council for Capitol Theater interior restoration.

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What purpose does the grant program serve?

The $50 million capital grant program provides municipalities and nonprofit developers with funds to address blight, abandonment and disinvestment in residential neighborhoods, by providing grants for the construction, reconstruction, renovation or repair of substandard rental and homeownership properties.

“Neighborhood Stabilization grants underscore the power of housing to transform people's lives and build up our communities,” Secretary of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities Ed Augustus stated in a press release. “Each one of these grants will bring pride back to neighborhoods by reviving properties and providing much-needed housing to individuals and families across our state.”

Standard-Times staff writer Kathryn Gallerani can be reached at kgallerani@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @kgallreporter. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford's long-vacant Capitol Theater to be transformed