The Exchange Salem project originated with a request for proposals (RFP) organized by the Salem Redevelopment Authority in 2019 following intensive community planning efforts based on the SRA’s Urban Renewal Plan and the Imagine Salem community visioning plan. No strangers to the community, members of the development team have spent the past year working in partnership with the SRA and the community to arrive at the proposal now before the Salem Planning Board.
The project is being led by joint venture that features WinnDevelopment, the development arm of WinnCompanies, and respected local developers Kenneth and Thomas Carpi, whose work on the Salem City Hall Annex, also known as "Nine Zero Washington," won a 2019 award from Mass Preservation. WinnDevelopment is a premier developer and owner of mixed-income apartment communities throughout Massachusetts. No other developer has won more awards for residentially focused, adaptive reuse projects that preserve and transform vacant, historic public buildings and industrial-era mills.
The team features experienced and respected local designers, planners and developers who recognize the significance of this unique opportunity to create a transformative development that not only improves the gateway to Salem but also sets the stage for the continued revitalization of the northern end of city and a stringer connection to Salem's historic downtown.
As the project continues to advance in the local and state approval process, WinnDevelopment will look to add partners who can help successfully activate and execute on the overall vision for the properties.
Ken & Tom Carpi, Salem
Ken and Tom Carpi, as principals of Park Towers, LLC, will spearhead the commercial aspects of this project. Together, they have executed numerous real estate transactions in Salem, including the Salem City Hall Annex on Washington Street, the Bank Plaza and the Red Lion site. They have been responsible for numerous ventures throughout New England, including successful office, hotel and residential developments.
Serving as general counsel, Correnti & Darling is a Salem law firm with 50 years of experience in real estate development, specifically focused on the zoning and permitting of projects throughout the North Shore. Partner Joe Correnti was born and raised in Salem, where he served as a former Assistant District Attorney in Essex County prior to starting his own practice.
Based in Hanover, MA., Wozny/Barbar & Associates, Inc., is a full-service consulting firm specializing in the design of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, fire alarm and energy management systems. The firm provides clients with multi-disciplinary engineering services from conceptual design through construction administration. It employs 40+ design professionals in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Headquartered in North Providence, RI, Odeh Engineers is a nationally recognized structural engineering firm with a team that brings creative and innovative thinking to life by leveraging cutting-edge technology. Its history spans over four decades, with thousands of successful projects completed throughout the United States.
Based in Pawtucket, RI, Public Architectural Laboratory is one of New England’s leading cultural resource management firms, offering services in fields of archaeology and historic architectural survey. The firm's senior planner, Maureen Cavanaugh, will be a key team member, bringing a wealth of experience in developing environmental planning documents for an array of public and private real estate projects, as well as project management.
WinnDevelopment's first-ever project was Pequot Highlands, a 250-unit affordable housing community in Salem. Based in Boston, the company has developed dozens of apartment properties statewide, including in most Gateway Cities. The leader in historic adaptive reuse projects for residential uses, WinnDevelopment is also a pioneer in mixed income housing, particularly in the category of middle income or workforce housing for those who earn too much to qualify for traditional subsidies but not enough to afford skyrocketing market rate rents.
A dynamic, full-service architectural firm with 18 years of experience and a portfolio spanning across the Northeast, Cube3's notable projects include the Watson (Quincy, MA), Modera Lofts (Jersey City, NJ), and Cambridge Park Apartments (Cambridge, MA). Based in Lawrence, the firm's mission is to provide the best design experience and value, stressing a creative and thoughtful approach. Cube3 is committed to sustainable design practices in every aspect of its work.
landworks studio
Based in Salem, Landworks Studio, Inc., is a design-driven landscape architecture collaborative with a staff that includes experienced landscape architects who share interdisciplinary backgrounds in design, arts, architecture, and placemaking. The firm is is known for creating transformative and regenerative spaces. Its work spans all scales, from small pocket-parks to city-wide framework plans and mid-sized residential communities, often in urban or semi-urban environments.
VHB, based in Watertown, will serve as Transportation Engineers and Bikeway and Pedestrian Planners – roles the company has performed on behalf of the City of Salem in the past. VHB is tasked with identifying public realm improvements along Bridge and Washington Streets that will tie the Courthouses and Crescent Lot together in a coherent, complementary way. The company's previous work in Salem includes the Boston Street Complete Street project, Derby Street sidewalk and bicycle accommodations, North Shore Medical Center expansion, Salem State’s development of its Central Campus, and the expansion of the Peabody Essex Museum.
Based in Boston, Attorney Deirdre M. Robinson represents developers in the Northeast and across the country in all aspects of affordable housing development with an emphasis on syndication of tax credits including low-income housing, historic and new markets. She specializes in complicated transactions that frequently involve historic preservation.