Housing Headlines

HAMILTON --- In a sign that the town and a nonprofit may finally be reaching an agreement that they hope will be palatable to all, the Hamilton Affordable Housing Trust and the nonprofit Harborlight Community Partners have come to a tentative agreement in which the trust will allocate $300,000 to support the nonprofit in the building of 40 affordable apartments for families on Longmeadow Way near the high school.

BOSTON --- Boston Magazine contributor Rachel Slade is rooting for developer John Rosenthal and his Fenway Center project as the next step in healing the big east-west gash that is the Mass Pike and stitching back together old neighborhoods in the heart of the city.

DANVERS --- In a story we didn't see when it was published, Danvers held a public forum in January to discuss the creation of a smart growth zoning district in a 14-acre area around Maple Street which is currently an industrial area near downtown that features Hotwatt, an electric heater manufacturer.

FRAMINGHAM --- With two key commercial tenants either out or questionable, the owners of Shoppers World are back before city leaders with a new mixed-use plan that includes 175 apartments, 30,500 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a parking garage, sidewalks to Logan Express and a bike trail leading to nearby commuter rail. Back when Framingham was a town, the planning board OK'd Ohion-based DDR's plan to build 130 units and commercial space that would include a bowling alley and an amusement center that included simulated sky diving.

WEYMOUTH --- With the recent approval of a new housing plan, the Town of Weymouth has increased its chances of getting state grant funding to explore the possibility of redeveloping one of its four large public housing developments with new mixed-income housing as well as making necessary repairs and upgrades to the affordable housing already there.

CHELMSFORD --- In a report to selectmen, Community Development Director Evan Belansky predicted that with the number of housing developments and affordable apartments in the pipeline, Chelmsford's affordable housing supply will jump from 9.64 percent to over 10 percent by the 2020 census and will likely stay that way for a few years to come.