Housing Headlines

LINCOLN --- Voters at Lincoln Town Meeting approved by the required two-thirds majority special zoning to allow Civico Development to proceed with plans to develop Oriole Landing, a 60-unit mixed-income rental development. Voters were moved by the logic that this would keep the town's supply of affordable housing over 10 percent through the 2020 census, giving it greater control over larger developments that could be proposed through the Ch. 40B comprehensive permit process, which allows developers to bypass local zoning in town's where less than 10 percent of the housing is affordable.

BOSTON --- The city has chosen Neighborhood of Affordable Housing (NOAH) to develop a city-owned parcel on Condor Street, picking the East Boston-based nonprofit's plan over proposals submitted by Z Capital Investments and Pennrose Properties. NOAH's Phil Giffee said his organization would partner with the East Boston CDC to build a 41-unit neighborhood that would include mixed-income, ownership/rental housing and gallery spaces.

FRAMINGHAM --- Wood Partners has begun construction on a $60 million, 196-unit downtown housing development and parking garage within minutes of the commuter rail. The project, planned for 55-75 Concord Street - merges several parcels, including a parking lot, church, warehouses and vacant stores. To help get the development off the ground, Framingham residents voted to grant the project $5.9 million in subsidies through a 15-year tax increment financing agreement.

QUINCY --- The city is sharpening its pencils to show the state it has met requirements of the Ch. 40B law which allows developers to bypass local zoning if a community's affordable housing supply is less than 10 percent or covers less than 1.5 percent of land that can be developed. Quincy's supply is at 9.6 percent but the city's principal planner believes Quincy has gone past the 1.5 percent threshold and is working with the state to certify those numbers.

QUINCY --- A revised plan by Falconi Companies to reduce its mixed-use development proposal from 71 to 50 mixed-income apartments drew little support from residents, who made it clear at a public meeting that they are opposed to a project of that size for East Milton Square. Despite the negative feedback, one selectman acknowledged there is a need for housing that will allow residents to downsize and the president of the local neighborhood association, Steve Rines, expressed a willingness to continue to work with the developer on a plan that is palatable to the neighborhood.

WORCESTER --- The city's new task force on homelessness heard a range of stories and ideas at its first public input session, ranging from the homeless talking about barriers to housing to dangers in shelters to business representatives talking about how panhandling impacts business to landlords offering help if building codes were updated and if wraparound services could be made available.