Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- Boston’s building boom will need to stretch into some of the farthest reaches of the city to keep pace with a population that could hit 800,000 by 2050, according to a new citywide master plan unveiled by the Walsh Administration. One key element of the plan is the goal to expand neighborhoods on the outer edges of the city. Among the areas targeted for additional development are Suffolk Downs, Sullivan Square in Charlestown, the Beacon Yards in Allston, and Readville in Hyde Park.

FALMOUTH --- The town's plan to use $60,000 in Community Preservation Act funds to provide rental and mortgage assistance to low-income families will not move forward after the state's Dept. of Revenue advised that CPA funds cannot be used for one-time rental assistance payments.

CAMBRIDGE --- State and local officials gathered on Nov. 15 to celebrate the grand opening of Port Landing, a 20-unit affordable housing development built on a formerly vacant lot by Capstone Communities and Jason Korb. Local blogger Sam Seidl weighs in with congratulations and lots of pictures.

LOWELL --- A report this week on the state's Residential Assistance for Families in Transition Program (RAFT) found that the fund that kept over 600 Merrimack Valley families out of shelters. "RAFT is one of the strongest pieces of our statewide safety net to keep families out of shelter," Community Teamwork CEO Karen Frederick said of the findings of the Regional Housing Network report. "We need to thank Chairman Brian Dempsey of Haverhill who understood that prevention makes sense. He was a huge part in bringing the RAFT program back in 2012 after it had been dormant for several years."

LYNN --- A $1.2 million grant from the Baker Administration's MassWorks program will pay for water and sewer improvements that will support the development of 348 apartments on a former Lynnway car dealership site.

BOSTON --- In the latest sign of large-scale development pushing to the farthest edges of Boston, a developer this week filed plans with the city to turn a former warehouse and truck maintenance facility in Hyde Park’s Readville section into a 521-unit apartment complex..