Housing Headlines

FRAMINGHAM --- Drawing on her experience of living downtown when she first moved to Framingham in the 1980s, newly elected mayor Yvonne Spicer told a community forum of about 75 residents that the city needs to build on recent permitting for downtown housing by encouraging other types of development that will draw and keep people downtown.

BOSTON --- Madison Park Development Corp. recently celebrated the grand opening of 30 mixed-income apartments on the original location of the Tropical Foods grocery store. Called Nine Williams, it's another phase in Madison Park's efforts to redevelop the Melnea Cass Boulevard site. Tropical Foods now has a bigger store location on the parcel next to Nine Williams.

QUINCY --- A city attorney told the zoning board of appeals that the state Housing Appeals Committee is likely to reject the ZBA's denial of a developer's request for a Ch. 40B comprehensive land use permit, saying the committee weighs the need for affordable housing versus local concerns and that it is "a very high standard - one we cannot meet." B&D Property Management has proposed to build 40 apartments in Wollaston and has appealed the ZBA's denial to the state.

CHELMSFORD --- Even though it has a one-year safe harbor from Ch. 40B applications and it's supply of affordable housing is at 9.2 percent, Community Development Director Evan Belansky said the pipeline of new projects should under consideration should push the town over 10 percent, giving it safe harbor from Ch. 40B for years to come.

WALTHAM --- The state has denied the city's claim that is has complied with the state's affordable housing requirements, a safe harbor status the city was seeking in reaction to an application by Alliance Realty Partners for a Ch. 40B comprehensive land use permit so it could build 195 units on Second Ave. Communities can achieve safe harbor by having 10 percent of its housing stock considered affordable (Waltham is at 7.2 percent) or have affordable housing on sites comprising 1.5 percent or more of the total land area zoned for residential, commercial or industrial use. The state found Waltham had not demonstrated that it had met the 1.5 percent threshold.

DENNIS --- Now that he's bought a second lot that allows him to provide road access to his five-acre parcel surrounded by homes, developer David L. Howes is seeking a special permit so he can build 28 two-bedroom mixed income apartments, a proposal that is not sitting well with some neighbors.