Housing Headlines

LEXINGTON --- The state's Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation has approved a $341,500 loan to help the non-profit Women's Institute preserve the affordability of Pine Grove Village, an affordable condominium project built in 1976. Under the terms of the new financing, five of the 16 units to be affordable to low-income families, with the remaining units affordable to moderate-income families.

QUINCY --- Father Bill's president and CEO John Yazwinski is thinking of reducing the number of beds at its Broad Street headquarters by half to 50 or 60 and using the rest of the space to set up a resource center that would be focused on getting people into housing before they come homeless. He said that Father Bill’s right now does a good job of placing many of the chronically homeless into various apartments that the shelter owns or operates, but the majority of people sleeping at the shelter just need a bed for just week or two to get back on their feet.

In an effort to boost affordable housing in the region, the Housing Assistance Corp. of Hyannis and the Community Development Partnership of Eastham have joined forces to offer the Cape Housing Institute, a six-session training for local officials and volunteers. Starting Oct. 11 and continuing for five more weeks, the training will focus on a different topic: introduction to housing; developing a housing supply strategy, building community support, and funding sources; zoning and site selection; financing and phasing options; making the case for affordable housing and the RFP (request for proposals) process; and next steps, including how towns can work together to solve their affordable housing problems.

WOBURN --- This summer's decision by the Woburn Zoning Board of Appeals to OK a Ch. 40B housing proposal of 72 units (negotiated down from the original 113) was the lead anecdote in a local newspaper analysis of 40B housing proposals in the area.

SOUTH YARMOUTH --- Cambridge-based Commonwealth Community Developers is proposing to redevelop the Yarmouth Gardens Motor Lodge site into 40 affordable apartments. If approved, the development would be the second such ongoing project on the Route 28 strip as Waltham-based Dakota Partners is in the process of constructing 69 affordable apartments on the site of the Cavalier Motor Lodge.

WORCESTER --- Police and public officials are paying attention to two small rooming houses on Oread Street in the city's Main South neighborhood, where the number of police calls and drug overdoses are among the city's highest.