Housing Headlines

AMHERST --- Amherst property owner Joel Greenbaum has filed an appeal of the Planning Board decision to grant site plan approval for One East Pleasant Street - a five-story mixed used development where the Carriage Shops are located.

NEWTON --- Calculations made by various city departments have determined that Newton has met one of the requirements to gain exemption from Ch. 40B housing developments. Less than 10 percent of the city's housing is affordable but the city has found it meets the other requirement as more than 1.5 percent of its eligible land area is being used for affordable housing.

ANDOVER --- The planning board has ended public discussions and is now deliberating on whether to grant National Development a Ch. 40B comprehensive permit to build a two-phase, 133-unit senior housing development on the former Strawberry Hill Farm.

BROCKTON --- In a sure signal Brockton's downtown development is moving forward, Trinity Financial has announced that applications are being taken for the 42 apartments in Enso Flats, the new 42-unit artist live-work space that is part of Trinity's $100 million residential and commercial development within steps of the city's commuter rail station. The flats are expected to be ready by spring.

BOSTON --- Many of the activists who lobbied for the Fairmount commuter rail line to add stops in Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan are now worried that these stops will result in higher rents and the displacement of lower-income residents. On Dec. 7, a community discussion was convened by the Codman Square CDC to discuss what to do about this issue.

GREENFIELD --- A regional housing study for Franklin County has found that there is a shortage of housing for residents making below 50 percent of the region's median household income or under $40,000 per year.