Housing Headlines

WALTHAM --- Mayor Jeannette McCarthy's call for a multifamily moratorium after a 10-alarm fire gutted a partially-completed apartment building will have to wait as a City Council committee voted to table the recommendation. McCarthy said the fire did influence her request but added she's been concerned for some time about too much development, based on feedback from residents.

BOSTON --- The House recently gave initial approval to a proposal by Housing Committee Chair Kevin Honan that would make it easier for communities to adopt special smart growth zoning districts. Right now, the state's smart growth law - known as 40R - requires a two-thirds vote of a local legislative body, such as a city council or town meeting. Honan's bill would change that requirement to a majority vote. Cities or towns adopting such districts -- which can be sited in areas near transit or concentrated development -- are entitled to state incentive payments. Thirty eight communities have adopted the legislation thus far.

BOSTON --- Two recent reviews of housing construction show that while development in the downtown and Seaport areas have enabled Boston to exceed its housing production goals, city officials predict future growth and investment will take place in outlying neighborhoods in the coming years.

QUINCY --- A local family has filed an appeal with the state over the Zoning Board of Appeals' denial of its application for a Ch. 40B land use permit so it could build 32 apartments in the Wollaston section of the city. Warren Place LLC, the company created by the Boncaldo family, appeal to the state is for 40 units, which it originally proposed before scaling it back in response to feedback from ZBA and residents.

HYANNIS --- Governor Baker's newly formed Council on Aging continued its statewide listening tour on the Cape recently, where over 100 seniors showed up to voice concerns about the lack of affordable housing, the stress it causes and how a more stable housing situation would also lead to better health.

The Boston Globe's Katie Johnston takes an in-depth look at the economic challenges facing the state's elderly, where it's estimated that more than 60 percent can't afford food, housing or other living expenses, the second highest rate in the country behind Mississippi.