Housing Headlines

BRAINTREE – With the town's Zoning Board of Appeals set to begin hearings on what's believed to be the town's first Ch. 40B application in 14 years, Mayor Joseph Sullivan revealed Friday that the town's planning department has concluded that more than 1.5 percent of the town's land is being used for affordable housing, which if confirmed by the state would give Braintree safe harbor from Ch. 40B housing proposals. The news comes as the Holland Companies of Boston is set to begin ZBA hearings on a 70-apartment proposal for Braintree Square.

BILLERICA --- Alliance Residential's bid to apply to the town for a "friendly" Ch. 40B building permit took a key step forward recently as the Board of Selectmen voted 4-0 to support the 200-apartment proposal, with the understanding that the town would receive $350,000 in mitigation funds. The developers now must get approval from the town's Zoning Board of Appeals.

MILFORD - Eden Management, the developers of a proposed 300-unit 40B apartment development on East Main Street, have filed with the Conservation Commission to delineate wetland areas on the 117-acre site. The Waltham-based company is asking the town for a Ch. 40B building permit so it can build two apartment buildings and a parking garage on a site that was once considered to be a potential site for a casino before the town voted against it by a 2-1 margin three years ago.

DANVERS --- The Baker Administration's efforts to stop placing the homeless in motels continues to make progress as there are no longer any homeless living in three Danvers motels. The state has used various forms of rental assistance and has increased its amount of shelter beds to reduce the need for using motels, officials said. When Gov. Baker took office in 2015, 168 homeless families were living in Danvers motels.

NANTUCKET --- The Nantucket Planning Board has unanimously approved 42 of the house lots Richmond Great Point Development has proposed for 17 acres off Old South Road. The development ispart of a much larger plan that includes another 51 lots and 225 apartment units on neighboring properties.

FALMOUTH --- In a departure from the usual comments town officials make about housing developments that apply for Ch. 40B permits, the Falmouth Zoning Board of Appeals unanimously OK'd Falmouth Housing Corp.'s permit request and then heaped praise on the proposal. "This is certainly the quickest 40B that I’ve been involved with, and I think it is certainly a good project. Forty rental units go onto our housing stock, which is wonderful, and the applicant worked with us, the board, to address our concerns,” board chairman Kimberly A. Bielan said. “I think it’s a great location for the project, and I think it’s certainly beneficial for the town, so thank you.”