Housing Headlines

ADAMS --- Following a planning board meeting in which a single mother was reportedly ridiculed and told to move out of town after she indicated support affordable housing, the Berkshire Eagle lambasted members of the audience for fear mongering and social media misinformation which the paper said served to fuel hostilities at the meeting.

BRAINTREE --- As the town continues to debate how much new development should come to Braintree, residents spoke out in staunch opposition to a proposal by resident Paul Holland to build 70 apartments and eight condos in Braintree Square. One resident said the project, if built, would destroy the "quaintness" of the town while Mayor Joseph Sullivan asked the developers to withdraw their application for a Ch. 40B land use permit.

BROCKTON --- The Brockton Planning Department has released a master plan for a former rail yard which is located less than a mile from its downtown. The "preferred" plan includes 25 to 35 single-family homes, 100 to 225 apartments, a park and a new police station.I n total, the plan identifies more than 60 acres of land — divided into 47 parcels with 26 different owners — that the city hopes to bundle together and rezone.

LYNN --- Three non-profits have joined to propose building 24 units of supportive housing for low-income young adults on the top two vacant floors at 57 Munroe Street in the city's downtown. The proposal is being spearheaded by The Haven Project, a seven-year-old Lynn nonprofit that helps homeless teens and currently operates its non-profit and a cafe from the same building. Together with East Coast International Church and Harborlight Community Partners, they propose to provide 250 square-foot studio apartments and services for young people making no more than $22,000 per year.

CAMBRIDGE --- Harvard University announced this week that it is recommitting its $20 million fund to increase affordable housing in Greater Boston. Called the Harvard Local Housing Collaborative, the fund partners with three nonprofits to provide low-interest loans to developers during the early stages of development and to help low- and moderate-income buyers purchase a home. The three nonprofits are Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), BlueHub Capital (formerly Boston Community Capital), and the Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust.

DORCHESTER --- The City of Boston's Zoning Board of Appeals has OK'd a plan to replace Our Saviour's of Lutheran Church on Talbot Ave. with a four-story mixed-use building and ground floor commercial space that will include a smaller space for the church.