Housing Headlines

TRURO --- With land from the state Department of Transportation now in hand, Truro is beginning of the conversation of how to turn the land into housing, with the select board recently adopting guidelines on how to put the land out to bid for the development on mixed-income housing. The Massachusetts Housing Partnership has provided the town with $7,500 grant to do an initial feasibility study as to what can be built on the site, which is in North Truro and very near other affordable housing built on town land. (Sally's Way).

LYNN --- Hoping to catch the development wave it sees happening in Somerville, Everett, Chelsea and Medford, the City of Lynn is excited about Procopio Enterprises of Saugus' plan to build 189 market-rate apartments on a former Munroe St. parking lot site. Co-owner Michael Procopio said the company may apply to the state's state’s Housing Development Incentive Program, which provides a local-option real estate tax exemption on the increased property value resulting from improvements to the property.

FALMOUTH --- The Falmouth Housing Corporation is planning to expand its affordable housing campus on Gifford Street by applying to the Baker Administration's Community Scale Housing Initiative for funding to add 20 units. The 36 existing units on the Gifford Street property were built under the state’s Chapter 40B affordable housing law and are owned by the Falmouth Housing Corporation. These units received long-term financing from MHP.

NATICK --- In another example of multi-family housing development on or near mall properties, National Development is building 164 apartments for residents 62 and older on the old Sam's Club site on Speen St., across from the Natick Mall. Ten percent or 17 of the units will be affordable.

MILTON --- The long-delayed effort to reuse the old Hendries ice cream factory site appears to be on hold again as the state is reviewing the asbestos removal involved in the demolition of the building to make way for 38 condos and 3,800 square feet of retail space. The demolition will now likely be pushed back to Labor Day as a holiday weekend is preferred so as not to disrupt regular service on the Mattapan high-speed trolley line.

An editorial in the Lynn Item hails the final local approval for a development that will bring 332 units to a former Lynnway auto dealership that has been vacant for 35 years.