Housing Headlines

Noting how reaction from the community and local politicians in South Boston caused developers to scale back its plan for the former Edison plant from 1,700 units to either 750 unis or zero units, the Boston Globe editorial page chides opponents for missing the big picture - the city has a chronic housing shortage.

BOSTON --- In an interview with the Boston Globe that appeared in print and on video, the Pine Street Inn's Lydia Downie discusses why her organization has pivoted to finding housing for the homeless population it serves. “If we’re going to be about housing, everything we do has to be about leading people to housing,” she said. “We took a really hard look at every single program we had, and if we weren’t getting the outcomes in terms of housing outcomes, we said we’re not doing this anymore."

BOSTON --- Police reaction to the beating of a South Bay corrections officer was swift, but many in the neighborhood are asking why it took so long for the City of Boston to initiate "Operation Clean Sweep" given that teachers and students at the nearby Orchard Gardens K-8 public school have reportedly been complaining for five years about drug use, discarded needles and prostitution happening on school grounds.

NEWTON --- One mile west of his ongoing Washington Place development, developer Robert Korff is proposing to build a 243-mixed use project on an assemblage of properties that includes The Barn, a longtime Newton shoe store. The proposal is near the commuter rail and on a street with regular bus service to the city. Korff is planning to apply for a Ch. 40B land use permit rather than wait for the city to complete its visioning process for Washington Street, which runs parallel to the Mass. Pike.

MARTHA'S VINEYARD --- In its ongoing series of reports on urban-type issues facing the country's teach towns, City Lab sends visual story teller Ariel Aberg-Riger to Martha's Vineyard to illustrate how wealthy year-rounders and vacationers impact the ability of everyday working people to find a home.

WORCESTER --- The 365-unit Front Street luxury apartment development in downtown Worcester is now fully leased, according to an earnings report by the developer's parent company, Mack-Cali Realty Corp. of New Jersey. The multi-phased project was part of the $565-million CitySquare project, which includes the 168-room AC Hotel along with new retail, restaurant and office space.