P-01In processPOPL · 2025–
Cambridgeport triple-decker pilot
POPL's first deal is a 1903 triple-decker in Cambridgeport, owned by an 85-year-old who wants to stay in his home. It's structured as a life estate and equity swap, so he can stay while the building's value is used to preserve it as attainable housing.
- Location
- Cambridge, MA
- Type
- Preservation / reuse
- Structure
- Life estate + equity swap
- Role
- Researcher & co-developer
Case study
Why affordability is so hard to keep, even in one building
The financial model is the easy part. The hard part is getting four parties to say yes to a structure none of them had used before, when each one needs something different.
- The ownerTo stay in his home for life, and to know what happens to the building after.
- Development partnerA return that justifies a small, slow, unusual deal.
- Legal counselA life estate and equity swap that holds up, with few precedents to lean on.
- City councilAffordability that lasts, and a model worth backing again.
I built open feasibility tools so every party could look at the same numbers. They compare three paths:
Path A
Keep it as permanent affordable rental, as the owner intends
Path B
Condo sale that plans for succession
Path C
Side-by-side comparison and a 10-step Cambridge action plan for legal and city review
- Coordinated the owner, development partner, and legal counsel on a new ownership structure
- Built the ADU financing and condo conversion models
