Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- When it comes to opposing housing, Banker & Tradesman columnist Scott Van Voorhis sees a lot of bipartisanship.

MANCHESTER --- Facing the reality that one needs an annual income of at least $182,000 to afford a home in this upscale seaside community north of Boston, some in town are brainstorming on how they can use locally-collected Community Preservation Act funds to increase the supply of affordable housing.

BOSTON --- Sparked mostly by the production of low-income and luxury housing, Boston is off to a good start at reaching Mayor Martin Walsh's goal of creating 53,000 units by 2030 but some nonprofit leaders worry that the city needs to do more to create housing for middle income people and families.

GREENFIELD --- The executive director of the Greenfield Housing Authority says that the 13.2 million renovation of the 74-unit Oak Courts public housing development is near completion and that some of the units could go to homeless families living in Greenfield motels.

YARMOUTH --- Having appropriated $2 million in CPA funds to help fund the conversion of motels into affordable housing, Yarmouth has taken the first step by surveying motel owners who would be willing to sell their properties to the town. The town received one interested response from Oreste and Sheila Volpe, owners of Yarmouth Gardens.

ASHLAND --- In the second public meeting held to hash out a housing production plan, residents were shown data provided by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council estimating that the town will grow to 20,000 residents by 2030 and will need 1,110 single-family homes and 930 apartments to keep up with demand.