Housing Headlines

AMHERST --- The owner of a 183-unit East Hadley Road apartment complex built in 1968 is going to have to apply to the town for a special permit to build 47 more apartments on the site because the local zoning that allowed the project no longer exists. Yosrex Limited Partnership of Wellesley Hills will appear before the zoning board of appeals for a special permit in order to add a three-story L-shaped building to the existing complex.

AGAWAM --- A Springfield-based non-profit has announced plans to develop a farm it bought in 2016 into 62 mixed-income apartments. Way Finders plans to apply to the town for a Ch. 40B comprehensive land use permit, which would allow it to override local zoning to build multi-family housing on the property.

MARLBOROUGH --- City leaders will continue to pour over recommendations by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council about what types of multifamily housing work work best in various areas of the city. The city is hoping to develop a system to help it determine how a project fits into a neighborhood, how it benefits the city, what impact it has on services and if it has an affordable component.

Sen. Harriette Chandler and state Rep. James J. O'Day co-wrote an op-ed piece for the Worcester Telegram calling for new legislation that would update out-of-date zoning laws, which are restricting the Commonwealth's ability to produce more housing and make it more affordable.

SAUGUS --- The town has received word that an entity known as Saugus Residential LLC will be seeking a Ch. 40B land use permit so it can build 300 apartments at 770 Broadway (Route 1 North), which is currently the site of Wal-Mart. If approved, the development would be called Saugus Ridge. The developer has applied to MassHousing for financing. If approved, the developer would then apply to the town for the permit.

BOSTON --- After a year of stagnant enrollments, Boston's colleges are now seeing a student surge and that is translating into more students living off campus, especially in Dorchester where an enrollment surge at UMass-Boston has translated into 2,894 students living off campus compared to 774 last year.