Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- The decision by the owners of a new 195-unit Jamaica Plain apartment building to lease 24 of its apartments to a company that specializes in short-term corporate rentals is part of a trend that is worrying housing advocates who fear valuable housing is being siphoned off by short-term rentals.

SPRINGFIELD --- It was originally called the Housing Allowance Project. One of its first leaders was former Dukakis housing chief Amy Anthony. It was created to provide housing subsidies before Section 8 was invented. For a brief time, its name stressed its Hampden and Hampshire county service areas. Then it went back to HAP. Now, its new name is about helping people. Here's the story of how HAPHousing became Way Finders.

SOUTH YARMOUTH --- Efforts by the town to support the redevelopment of some of the more tired hotel properties along Rt. 28 have taken another pause as a second inspection for asbestos will delay the demolition of the Cavalier Motel. Waltham-based Dakota Partners, which has developed apartments near the Hyannis mall, is planning to raze the property and construct 69 apartments.

HAMILTON --- The Hamilton Development Corp. has decided to extend its deadline for choosing an affordable housing development plan for a downtown property as the lone respondent so far - nonprofit Harborlight Community Partners - tries to get the town to support its proposal in combination with its latest idea on how to develop another property near the regional high school.

NEWTON --- Following a year of discussion and moves by both sides that made it obvious that an agreement was better than risking outcomes neither side wanted, the Newton City Council voted by the necessary 16-7 two-thirds majority to grant developer Robert Korff and Mark Development a special permit so the three-century old Orr Block near the Mass Pike and the commuter rail can be transformed into a 160-unit mixed-use development. “I’m exhausted. It’s been a very long, long time but very productive and educational for me. I do feel we ended up with the best project, which we couldn’t have done without the [extensive] dialog,” said developer Robert Korff, of Newton, CEO of Mark Development.

WINCHESTER --- Hoping to gain greater control over developers attempting to build by applying to the town for Ch. 40B land use permits, the Town of Winchester is planning to spend around $75,000 to come up with its first housing plan, which the state requires for towns seeking greater latitude in its ability to manage 40B development requests. Ch. 40B allows developers to override local zoning if the town's affordable housing supply is less than 10 percent. Towns with housing plans that articulate a plan to build affordable housing is one of the initial steps toward having greater control over 40B permit requests.