Housing Headlines

SALEM --- Right after the city council failed to deliver a two-thirds majority vote that would allow vacant religious and city buildings to be converted to housing, arguments among councilors ensued and one councilor - Beth Gerard - filed a motion to reconsider, which means the proposal will again be up for a vote when the council meets again in mid-March.

SAUGUS --- Due to the discovery of an endangered species known as the Spotted Tiger Beetle, Toll Brothers Apartment Living is redesigning its 300-unit Saugus Ridge Ch. 40B housing proposal, saying the 28-acre site will no longer be leveled and the building will be in a new location to preserve ledges that have been determined to be the habitat for the beetle.

LAWRENCE --- Three years after Mayor Dan Rivera floated the idea, the city council has changed requirements for residential buildings with more than three apartments, voting 6-3 to require owners to register at City Hall and have each unit inspected every three years by building, health and sanitary code inspectors. The bill replaces a law that requires the inspections at least every five years.

WESTBORO --- Warrant articles for the Saturday, March 16 annual town meeting includes a proposal that would require that residential subdivisions consisting of at least five lots or units include 10 percent of the units as affordable units under state guidelines. According to the state, 13.3 percent of the town's housing is considered affordable as of 2017.

A Gloucester Times editorial voices concern that not enough is being done to help seniors live in their homes or provide supportive housing for those who need an alternative. The editorial points to Hamilton residents who are fighting the construction of 12 senior units as an example of an inability to get things done.

QUINCY --- In a story that takes a hard look at how low-income and senior residents may be getting left behind in Quincy's housing boom, reporter Erin Tiernan notes that developers opting to pay into a fund rather than include affordable homes in their projects have put over $21 million into the city's housing trust fund and that the city has spent $7.7 million to build 373 affordable homes.