Housing Headlines

ORLEANS --- The Orleans Fire Dept. is having trouble filling a paramedic position and Chief Anthony Pike says it's because of a lack of affordable housing and the requirement that paramedics live close to their responsibility area. Pike added that finding paramedics is not just an Orleans problem. “This is what’s happening Cape-wide,” Pike said. “Our neighbors are in the same boat from Provincetown to Bourne." By law, public safety officers have to live within 10 miles of the station but Orleans has a tougher standard - six miles. “They have to be able to be at the station within 15 minutes,” Pike said.

SOMERVILLE --- After a year of discussions, master developer US2 has reached an agreement with community representatives on specific amenities and mitigations the neighborhood will receive as part of the redevelopment of Union Square. The agreement includes an understanding on affordable housing production, union labor, sustainable building practices and 3.5 acres of green and open space.

WORCESTER --- With the Pawtucket Red Sox move to downtown Worcester sparking development near low-income neighborhoods, nonprofit affordable housing developers like Worcester Common Ground's Yvette Dyson are scrambling to secure sites and housing opportunities for lower-income residents before outside developers drive prices out of reach.

TRURO --- In a meeting to discuss whether the Truro Motor Inn should be shut down due to the owner Daniel DeGizzi's failure to make repairs. the Board of Health gave year-round tenants and the owner a reprieve, ordering DelGizzi to begin work on bringing the property into compliance within 48 hours. The news came as good news to residents in the 36-unit property, who said they would have no place to live if the affordable housing was shut down.

BOSTON --- In providing an update on progress toward its goal of 69,000 new units by 2030, the City of Boston released some other interesting stats: 1) Hub has permitted 62% of all units in the Boston Metro area; 2) city has grown by +7,000 each year Mayor Walsh has been in office; 3) This year, 81% of units permitted have been outside downtown core neighborhoods; 4) Goal-wise, Boston has permitted or built 30,442 units, with 6,004 of them income restricted.

BOSTON --- Dudley Square property owner Greg McCarthy's plan to build a five-story mixed-use building with 26 mixed-income condos was met with stiff opposition at a recent public meeting, with residents voicing concerns about displacement and charging that McCarthy has been issuing no-fault evictions and not maintaining a small six-unit apartment building nearby. A no-fault eviction is an eviction where the tenant is evicted through no fault of their own. McCarthy said he has not collected rent from any tenant in 18 months. The Boston Planning and Development Agency said it would hold another public meeting to address community concerns.