Housing Headlines

ARLINGTON --- To spark more housing for all incomes - especially along the town's transit corridors - planning officials are recommending changes that would allow developers to build more units on smaller lots if they agree to add affordable housing. The proposed bylaw was supposed to go before April's Town Meeting but that has been postponed until June 15 and will likely be a shortened and only address financial articles, according to a recent statement by the town moderator.

It's a small sample size of nine communities, but it's significant to note that 10 out of 17 Pioneer Valley town officials said Massachusetts should continue to allow virtual public meetings after the COVID-19 state of emergency ends. Since the health crisis, Massachusetts has passed one law and three executive orders to help municipalities continue to pass budgets and govern, including tweaks to the Open Meeting Law so that virtual meetings could be held.

Metro West municipalities who depend on real estate and property taxes to keep public services running are growing concerned over delays in payments caused by COVID-19, especially after mortgage service provider CoreLogic requested an extension of its deadline to pay taxes. Framingham receives $19 million quarterly from CoreLogic, which is 38 percent of its quarterly take. Of the $8.5 million Marlborough receives in quarterly property tax payments from mortgage companies, roughly $5.5 million is from CoreLogic.

With the COVID-19 health emergency forcing many public meetings to be held online, city and town halls are adjusting, with some local leaders saying technology allows for more public access while others prefer in-person sessions, especially when for meetings seeking public feedback such as permit hearings for housing.

BROCKTON --- As lawmakers worked toward eviction moratorium legislation signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker this week, Brockton area landlords reportedly filed close to 100 new eviction claims. Statewide, more than 500 eviction cases have been filed across 22 housing courts during the pandemic, according to Andrea Park of the Mass. Law Reform Institute.

FRAMINGHAM --- The city council voted to hold a second public hearing in May on a proposed zoning change that would place a moratorium on most multifamly development for 270 days. Supporters of the moratorium say Mayor Yvonne Spicer hasn’t done enough to ensure Framingham can absorb the additional traffic and burdens on municipal services, including schools, that would result from more apartments. Framingham had a similar parking ban in the 1980s and 1990s.