Housing Headlines

BOSTON – The Baker-Polito Administration has awarded the inaugural $2.2 million round of Community Scale Housing Initiative awards, advancing the development and construction of 36 new affordable rental housing units in Arlington, Norwell, and West Tisbury.

BOSTON --- Increasingly, talk on the street indicates that mass evictions - known as a building clearout - are on the rise in red-hot real estate neighborhoods in East Boston, Roxbury and Dorchester, as investors continue to pounce on small multifamily buildings, buy them, evict tenants and do substantial renovations so they can sell them or jack up rents. It's hard to quantify just how much this is happening as the City of Boston does not track this activity. Activists are pushing for laws that would require more notice while the city is trying to create more affordable housing so renters aren't pushed from neighborhoods.

LOWELL --- Thanks to veterans programs in the city and transitional homes like Crescent House, Mayor Edward Kennedy said this week that all homeless vets in the city have been housed, capping his administration's two-year effort to end veteran homelessness. According to the city, since Sept. 2015, more than 100 veterans and their families have received housing services. Lowell is the second city in the state to end veterans homelessness, the other being Lynn.

NATICK --- With more than 10 percent of its housing affordable due in large part to its willingness to permit multifamily housing near Route 9 and the shopping mall, the Town of Natick may soon be considering a Ch. 40B comprehensive land use permit from a developer who says allowing the 125-unit project will keep the town over 10 percent for years to come. Cloverleaf Mall and Cloverleaf Apartments developer Josh Katzen is pitching to build 125 more apartments on Speen St. north of Route 9 and near access to the Mass Pike.

METHUEN --- In its ongoing effort to build a regional housing plan, the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission held a workshop at the library recently, where 25 residents voiced their concern about the supply of affordable housing for seniors and young people hoping to remain in the community or set down roots near family or where they work. During the discussion, MVPC staffers Mike Paquette and Karen Conrad presented statistics that showed that 48 percent of Methuen's population is over 45, and 24 percent is over 60. About 28 percent is between 20 and 44.

LEOMINSTER --- Empty since the 1990s, the Carter Junior High may finally spring back to life now that the nonprofit NewVue Communities has received a significant funding commitment from the Baker Administration so it can proceed with plans to develop the school into 39 affordable apartments. "The Carter building has been a contentious item in this city for decades, and I'm glad to see this proposal come to fruition," said City Councilor Richard Marchand. "The concerns of the neighborhood have always been on the table, and I think we're all pleased with this."