About New Seasons Development
New Seasons Development’s President Wendy Cohen is a well-respected, Boston-area housing professional with a strong background in real estate development, real estate finance, non-profit finance, multi-family residential lending and state-sponsored affordable housing development.
Since launching New Seasons Development LLC in 2014, Wendy has focused her development consulting work on helping both non-profit and for-profit developer clients in the preservation and production of both family and elderly housing projects located in several neighborhoods of Boston, and in Arlington, Cambridge, Dracut, Hudson, Lawrence, Lowell, Medway, North Adams, Salem, Salisbury, and Truro, among other communities.
New Seasons also assists developers in obtaining permitting under Chapter 40B from conception to project eligibility, and final approval to cost certification.
In addition, New Seasons performed financial peer reviews for the Town of Sudbury and the Town of Shrewsbury in relation to two separate proposed new construction projects. At the conclusion of her research and analysis, she rendered an opinion on the economic feasibility of a change in scope and size of the project, proposed by the ZBA.
Since the expansion of New Seasons began in 2017, the team has grown to include exceptional and knowledgeable housing professionals, including Consultants Toni Coyne Hall, Thomas Eldridge, and Meg Kiely Close. New Seasons’ team understands the realities, constraints and opportunities of the Massachusetts housing market and how to manage the barriers to getting affordable housing built.
Wendy Hanna Cohen – President and Managing Member
A Boston native, Wendy Cohen is a graduate of Oberlin College with a B.A. in Economics and Women’s Studies. She earned a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
After graduating from the Kennedy School, Wendy was a housing development project manager at CASCAP, Inc. in Cambridge. Wendy moved on to be a lender at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund (MHP), a quasi-public state agency that funds affordable and mixed income housing projects, including Chapter 40B projects. MHP is an issuer of project eligibility letters. Including her work at MHP prior to graduate school, she was a member of MHP’s lending team for over 11 years, in a progression of roles that lead to her role as Deputy Director of Lending. After leaving MHP, she became Director of Housing Development for the Allston Brighton CDC.
Approximately 10 years ago, Wendy assumed the position of Director of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), where she was responsible for the allocation of 9% and 4% LIHTCs. She oversaw program compliance for over 40,000 tax credit units in the MA tax credit portfolio. Wendy also managed the allocation and disbursement of funds under the Tax Credit Assistance Program and the Section 1602/”Tax Credit Exchange” Program and oversaw the asset management of the 32 projects that were assisted under these American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs. She remained in this position and underwrote and assisted hundreds of affordable housing projects.
While at DHCD, Wendy also participated as a representative of DHCD on the interagency committee in which many Chapter 40B policy matters faced by one or all of the state subsidizing agencies are discussed. She is familiar with the Chapter 40B rental housing cost certification guidelines (LIHTC and non-LIHTC) as well as the Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permit Guidelines and standards for economic feasibility. In addition to site eligibility application review, she has reviewed final approval requests and 40B cost certifications in her capacity as LIHTC Director.
Wendy left DHCD in 2014 to launch New Seasons Development, LLC.
Wendy is a member of CREW and her firm, New Seasons, is a WBE certified by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office. In her spare time, Wendy enjoys time with her family, as well as biking, hiking, and cross-country skiing.
Toni Coyne Hall – 40B Housing Consultant
Toni Coyne Hall was the Local Initiative Program (LIP) program manager for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development from 2007 through 2015. She was responsible for providing oversight of the comprehensive permit process with LIP including technical assistance on affordable housing for municipalities, non-profit agencies and developers.
Toni’s previous professional responsibilities within the Massachusetts Department included policy development and implementation of smart growth development, management and delivery of federal Community Development Block Grant programs. She has provided training and technical assistance to municipalities, state agencies and other entities in community development and housing predevelopment.
With New Seasons since 2017, Toni is responsible for working with government agencies on Chapter 40B projects, preparing project eligibility letter applications as well as financial and feasibility analysis. Toni holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography/Urban Affairs from Bridgewater State College, a Masters in Community Planning from the University of Rhode Island and a Masters in Business Administration from Bentley University.
A Boston native, Toni is an experienced downhill skier and hiker. She and her husband Greg have two grown children.
Thomas Eldridge - Senior Housing Consultant
Thomas Eldridge is joining New Seasons Development (NSD) as Senior Housing Consultant in November 2026. He will consult with multiple nonprofit and some for-profit affordable housing developers. Prior to joining NSD, Thomas was a Senior Development Manager at Community Development Partners in Portland, Oregon, and closed construction financing on seven projects totaling 700+ units and more than $350MM in total development costs, securing all required debt and equity. Thomas recently moved to Massachusetts with his family.
Meg Kiely Close - Senior Housing Consultant
Meg is a seasoned affordable housing and community development professional who has led complex, mission-driven projects across the nonprofit, for-profit, and public sectors. From early-stage feasibility to permanent loan closings, Meg brings technical skills and insight to every phase of affordable and mixed-income housing development. At New Seasons Development, Meg serves as a Senior Housing Consultant working with both nonprofit and private developers, providing comprehensive support and strategic guidance to project teams working to preserve and create new affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth.
Prior to this role, Meg served as Vice President of Development at The Michaels Organization, where she carried out conceptual planning, feasibility analysis, and deal structuring for transformative housing projects. Notably, Meg led a joint venture project team in the structuring of a complex 165-unit affordable housing redevelopment project and collaborated with her colleagues to win developer designation for the adaptive reuse of an historically significant municipal building to create approximately 80 units of affordable and middle-income housing.
Earlier in her career, Meg held leadership roles at non-profit organizations, where she managed multi-phase developments and neighborhood stabilization initiatives. She coordinated project teams, including architects, contractors, engineers, and consultants to bring each project from conception to completion. She led community meetings, as well as the public review and permitting process. She also served as asset manager for a 204-unit unit portfolio, implementing operational benchmarks and improving financial performance to ensure long-term sustainability.
Meg brings valuable public-sector experience to her role from her tenure as Deputy Director of Community Development and Housing at the Boston Redevelopment Authority. There, she managed a team of 10, collaborated closely with the mayor’s housing leadership team, and helped execute the Leading The Way strategy to deliver 2,500 new housing units across Boston. Known to be collaborative, detail oriented, and fun to be around, Meg is deeply committed to building consensus among diverse stakeholders and driving projects that balance community impact with financial feasibility.
Meg earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies at Fordham University and her Master of Arts in Spanish and Latin American Studies at American University. She currently serves as the Governor’s Appointee for the Natick Housing Authority (Chair). Meg enjoys time with her family, a variety of outdoor activities - from skiing to golfing to walking with friends, listening and dancing to live music, and relaxing in the Adirondacks at her family camp.