Housing Headlines

WOBURN --- Boston-based Hamilton Company has reportedly paid $59.5 million for an East Milton site and plans to move forward with a 72-unit proposal that has been previously OK'd by the city with a Ch. 40B comprehensive permit. The purchase is being done in tandem with Hamilton's purchase of the adjacent 181-unit Country Club Garden Apartments.The new housing will reportedly put Woburn's supply of affordable housing over 10 percent, giving it greater control over future 40B permit requests.

The Massachusetts Appeals Court has upheld a previous land court ruling in favor of a 64-unit affordable housing proposal off Fairgrounds Road. Known as Ticoma Green, the Nantucket Planning Board approved the development two years ago but three residents - represented by Attorney Dan Hill - appealed the decision, arguing hat the project violated the workforce-housing provisions of the town’s zoning bylaw, did not comply with storm water and screening requirements, and was not reviewed to the appropriate degree.

WEYMOUTH --- Almost a year after terminating its agreement with LStar for failure to live up to its agreement, the Southfield Redevelopment Authority Weymouth air base has chosen Brookfield Properties - in partnership with Tony Green and the company that developed Pinehills in Plymouth - as the new master developers for the former South Weymouth Naval Air Base. Brookfield - a global real estate company - was chosen in part for its success in taking over and turning around the University Station mixed-use project in Westwood.

GREAT BARRINGTON --- For the first time in memory, it was standing room only at a recent Community Preservation Committee meeting as dozens of angry residents - including one who cussed loudly and was almost removed - attended a meeting on a proposal to use $200,000 in town funds to buy the 7.25-acre Alden property and use it to build up to 48 units of affordable or mixed-income housing.

ORLEANS --- In its ongoing effort to work with a local nonprofit to turn its property into affordable housing, the town heard a variety of proposals from Ted Malone of Community Housing Resource Inc., the Cape-based company that has developed affordable housing in Provincetown, Truro and Wellfleet. During an informational meeting with town leaders and members of the Orleans Affordable Housing Trust, Malone walked through several scenarios that would put 11 to 14 apartments on land owned by Cape Abilities.

In an opinion piece posted today on Boston.com, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations writes that we're doomed to repeat the boom-and-bust cycles of the last three decades if we don't take address the dysfunctions in our housing market. In the piece, Joe Kriesberg lists several major steps that need to be taken, including protecting tenants, begin to fix zoning by passing Housing Choice legislation and closing the racial homeownership gap by building more starter homes.