Housing Headlines

ACTON --- Selectmen have voted to back a proposal by the Acton Housing Authority to build 31 affordable apartments for seniors and the disabled at a parcel of land on Main St. that the town acquired in 2016. The proposal still must be OK'd at town meeting.

BROCKTON --- In the basement of the Brockton library, a mix of residents, real estate professionals and local leaders held a discussion called "Is Gentrification Occurring in Brockton." The discussion centered on recent data showing that the median price of a single-family has nearly doubled since 2012, 25 percent of the whites have moved out since 2010 while the black and Latino populations have increased by 9 and 24 percent respectively.

BEVERLY --- Harborlight Community Partners cleared the first procedural hurdle in getting local funds for the first phase of its Anchor Point housing development as the city's Community Preservation Committee has recommended spending $250,000 in CPA funds to support the construction of 38 two- and three-bedroom apartments. The spending must still get the OK of the city council.

WORCESTER --- In advance of the release of the first phase of a city-wide housing study, leaders from the city, business and non-profit sectors discuss Worcester's housing situation and what's the right balance of affordable and market-rate housing given that the city's population has grown by approximately 14,000 since the year 2000.

GRAFTON --- After years of planning, the town has signed a deal with the state to purchase 8.8 acres of land on the former Grafton State Hospital site for $1. The town now plans to put out a request for proposal seeking a developer to propose a mixed-use residential and commercial development.

QUINCY --- The Quincy Housing Authority has posthumously honored Rosemary (McGrory) Wahlberg for her decades of work to improve social programs for under-served families and children in the city. The Dorchester-born Wahlberg, who died this past summer at 87, served on the board of the Quincy Housing Authority for over 40 years and was executive director of Quincy Community Action Programs for 25 years. At an event on Feb. 8, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch Koch said Wahlberg understood the importance of keeping families together, and knew that housing and jobs are the keys to accomplishing that.