Housing Headlines

BROCKTON --- Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito visited the downtown recently to celebrate the award of $15 million in state funding and federal tax credits for the revitalization of the former Kresge Department Store into 48 mixed-income apartments and first-floor apartments.

BOSTON --- Dorchester Reporter Editor Bill Forry has the scoop on plans by New York-based Center Court Partners to raze the former Ch. 56 property to make way for two 20-plus story towers with 758 apartments. Center Court Partners bought the property in 2017 for $14.5 million from car dealer Herb Chambers. The site is on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester, right next to the former Boston Globe HQ.

WORCESTER --- With most of its stock 60 years old, no meaningful expansion in 20 years and a waiting list of 6,000, the Worcester Housing Authority is planning to do a feasibility study geared toward outlining scenarios for adding more apartments.

WILMINGTON --- With Wilmington's percentage of affordable housing expected to fall below 10 percent after the 2020 census, the town is planning a workshop to explain to residents how adopting inclusionary zoning can help the town maintain or increase its supply of affordable housing so it can stay above 10 percent and maintain greater control over housing development proposals.

MILFORD --- If all ensuing permitting milestones are reached, three Ch. 40B housing proposals recently approved by the town's Zoning Board of Appeals will add almost 700 mixed-income apartments and put Milford's total of affordable housing units above 10 percent, giving it greater control over future 40B proposals. Projects in the pipeline include The Residences at Stone Ridge (Gutierrez Company, 272 apartments), Brookview (EM Street/Eden Mgt., 268 apartments) and Birch Street Place (Kevin Lobisser, 162 apartments).

SOUTHBOROUGH --- Local developer Scott Bemis has withdrawn his plan to turn a vacant lot in the town's business village district into a mixed-use building because the town's zoning does not allow apartments in its village district. Bemis plans to resubmit his plan by substituting the term "hotel/motel," because it's permissible under state building code, which applies because the town zoning is not specific. Bemis also cited a Route 9 motel as an example of this type of extended stay use as "I don't see anyone gong there for a nightly stay."