Housing Headlines

WELLESLEY --- As the town begins discussions on a new comprehensive plan for the first time in 10 years, Planning Director Michael Zehner discusses the challenge of adding affordable and multi-family housing whle maintaining the town's single-family character.

HINGHAM --- The town has received four responses for a Request for Proposals it put out soliciting developers for an assisted living proposal for a 10-acre town-owned site off Beal St. If selectmen accept one of the bids, the project would be built under Ch. 40B and would include 83 assisted living units, with half of them affordable. The town maintains its supply of affordable housing is over 16 percent but the state says its at 8.5 percent or 129 units short. Senior housing on Beal St. would draw the town closer to the goal of 10 percent in the state's mind.

HYANNIS — A plan by two GOP candidates for state office to address homelessness on Cape Cod had its public debut on Monday, but a major component of an earlier version — temporarily housing homeless people at Joint Base Cape Cod — is now missing.

HAVERHILL --- With phase one of Tenney Place nearly complete and occupied, Dakota Partners of Waltham is preparing to start construction on phase two, which like the first phase will consist of 72 rental apartments, with 56 of the units affordable to families at or below 60 percent of area median income, or $65,700 for a family of four.

BOSTON --- In Boston, where the Zoning Board of Appeal often gives great weight to neighborhood sentiment and the opinions of neighborhood associations, community support has become a crucial commodity that can sometimes be bought, according to an extensive Globe review of city records, e-mails, and court documents.

BOSTON --- Boston is well on its way to exceeding Mayor Martin Walsh’s stated goal for the creation of new housing units set back in 2014, according to the city’s Department of Neighborhood Development (DND), which released figures this week showing that the city has already added more than 10,000 new units in the last two years. Add in housing starts currently under review or in construction and the estimated number jumps to 39,120 — or enough housing for 67,600 new residents.