Housing Headlines

According to Boston Globe's Jon Chesto, yesterday's press event in which four previous state economic chiefs and two former housing secretaries voiced support for Governor Baker's Housing Choice bill is just the beginning. Chesto says the Baker administration will be hitting the road again this fall, appearing at housing events to rally support for the bill, which remains stuck in the legislature's Joint Committee on Housing.

QUINCY --- In an attempt to bring more oversight to sober homes in the city and ensure safety for its residents, City Councilor Brian Palmucci is proposing a bylaw that would require sober homes to seek certification from a nationally recognized organization. The Patriot Ledger reports that three sober homes in the city are certified through a state organization but there could be at least three more that are operating with no certification at all.

DORCHESTER --- The former site of the popular Phillips Old Colony House and Freeport Tavern at 780 Morrissey Boulevard is being eyed by New Jersey-based Michaels Development as a site for a new six-story, 200-unit apartment complex.

FRAMINGHAM --- A local man was arrested after he allegedly sent text messages to a friend that included several racial statements and a threat to burn down the South Middlesex Opportunity Council, the region's largest provider of services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals. The suspect was released on bail and ordered by the judge to stay away from SMOC, where he has been receiving unspecified services.

HOPKINTON --- A decade after the town rezoned a 900-acre former nursery site to allow 1,400 units and 500 acres of open space, the town is wrestling with the outcome - growing schools, traffic, an affordable housing supply of over 10 percent and three approved tax under-rides that have given back over $3 million to taxpayers. The Legacy Farms units “are selling for a lot more money than anyone envisioned 15 years ago, and they're bringing in way more tax money than anyone thought they would," said Ken Weismantel, former chair of the planning board.

BEVERLY --- A standing-room only crowd of over 100 residents packed City Hall for a planning board meeting held to discuss a developer's plan to build a $45 million, 111-unit, C-shaped, six-story building for downtown Beverly. Some spoke in favor of the project but many voiced concern about its size, even though the project is considered the centerpiece of Beverly Crossing's other upscale apartments along Rantoul Street and near the commuter rail.