Housing Headlines

HAMILTON --- Following a similar vote by the town's Affordable Housing Trust, selectmen have voted not to support Harborlight Community Partners' proposal to build 108 affordable apartments for seniors and families near the high school. Instead, the board voted to have the trust develop a list of potential housing sites in town, to acknowledge the need for senior and to support the process that housing proposals to the town go through the planning board first.

PROVINCETOWN --- In an attempt to get their hands around the housing shortage where the median single-family home is $750,000, the median income is $56,000 and parking spaces are listed for $99,000, the town and the Chamber of Commerce brought in nine real estate and affordable housing experts to tour sites and interview residents, officials and business owners so as to determine what can be done to alleviate the problem.

WORCESTER --- The Historical Commission has denied a Brooklyn-based development company's request to waive the one-year requirement on demolishing historic buildings, but the developer says he can wait one year before knocking down the 68 Gardner Street building and replacing it with market-rate multifamily housing.

WASHINGTON --- Last week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development unveiled a proposal and asked for comment on a new rule that would remake the Housing Choice Voucher Program, adjusting the maximum value of vouchers in many major markets to account for the wide variation in what it costs to live in different neighborhoods. Instead of setting "fair market rent" standards at the metropolitan level, in about 30 major metros including Washington, New York and Chicago, HUD will set them by ZIP code instead.

SOUTH DENNIS --- The head of the mid-Cape's housing program for summer workers here on temporary J-1 student visas described this summer's situation as a fiasco while U.S. Rep. Bill Keating said he is concerned based on inquiries to his office that sponsors who request visas for workers "are not fulfilling their responsibility to provide housing."

WORCESTER --- While some people see the city's $110 million, 20-year Urban Revitalization Plan as a way to push downtown Worcester further as a destination location, others believe city officials left out one major piece west of Main Street between Madison and Hammond Streets.