Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- In response to resident complaints in Boston's South End that more homeless people are staying overnight and are becoming more aggressive, Boston police have stepped up patrols and are making more arrests, a response that is welcomed by some and denounced by others, who feel tensions are being raised and people are being moved away from services they need.

As recent studies by the Mass. Smart Growth Alliance and The Greater Boston Housing Report Card have noted that towns are adding more tools to create housing, Boston Globe correspondent Jennifer Fenn Lefferts that the towns of Saugus and Dedham have called for moratoriums on mixed-use development, while Arlington postponed a spring vote on zoning that would promote more housing.

ADAMS --- Earlier this month, a debate over whether the Town of Adams should adopt smart growth zoning to make it easier to build more housing turned ugly, with opponents worrying about what how new residents would impact municipal services and the quality of life. Reportedly, a single mother who had moved to town spoke up and said she was having second thoughts, given the tenor of the conversation about newcomers. She eventually left in tears as some in the crowd reportedly encouraged to act on her notion and move out of town.

BOSTON --- In the same week that the Metropolitan Area Planning Council issued a study that found that 30 percent of the parking spaces in 200 Boston area apartment buildings go unused, the Bay State Banner published a story about resident concerns over a 25-story Dudley Square proposal that will feature 241 rental units and no onsite parking spaces. The Rio Grande development - proposed by an African American real estate team led by longtime Boston real estate owner Lisa Guscott - isn’t the only proposal that may put a strain on parking in Dudley Square. Six major city-owned lots have been put out to bid over the last year, including the Blair Lot on Washington Street.

FITCHBURG --- In an effort to promote more housing downtown and near its commuter rail, the Fitchburg City Council voted recently to extend the city's 40R Smart Growth zoning overlay district on the River Street corridor to include downtown. By extending the 40R district downtown, the city is also reducing the parking requirement for housing developers from 2 spaces per unit to 1.5 spaces.

Citing data from 2019 Boston Foundation Housing Report Card, Boston Globe suburban correspondent John Laidler looks at some of the 15 Greater Boston communities that accounted for more than half of the building permits issued in the state between 2013 to 2017. Besides Boston, the list includes Cambridge, Plymouth, Watertown, Everett, Weymouth, Somerville, Burlington, Chelsea, Framingham, Hopkinton, Middleborough, Quincy, Arlington and Canton.