Housing Headlines

BROOKLINE --- With its news pages frequented by stories of residents protesting any of the five 40B proposals before the town, the Brookline Tab editorializes that while there's a lot not to like about the law, developers should continue to use it to create moderately priced housing until something better comes along.

ARLINGTON --- Months after the town declared it had achieved "safe harbor" from Ch. 40B housing proposals because over 1.5 percent of its land is used for affordable housing, Oaktree Development has indicated it will challenge the town's claim. Oaktree has proposed to build 219 units on the Mugar property in East Arlington.

CONCORD --- The Concord Select Board have voted to send a letter to Junction Village developer Grantham Group LLC indicating its support of an 83-unit assisted living proposal. The letter will also indicate that the town will draft a 2017 Town Meeting amendment asking residents to authorize $1 million from the town's free cash account to support the project. The letter will further stipulate that the board will support the project's application for $1 million in CPA funds, $200,000 from the Concord Housing Foundation and $200,000 in federal money from the regional HOME Consortium.

WILLIAMSTOWN --- Determination by the development team, support from town officials and $1.5 million in Community Preservation Act funds were the key ingredients in making the renovation of Cable Millis into 61 apartments a reality, speakers said during a grand opening held on May 25.

FRAMINGHAM --- With last fall's downtown zoning changes in place, the town recently put together a tour for about 20 local real estate developers and showed them 20 underutilized parcels that could be transformed into mixed-use developments near the commuter rail.

BOSTON --- In his Sunday column, Globe Columnist Dante Ramos uses a 110-condo unit proposal on the Whiskey Priest property at 150 Seaport Boulevard to illustrate Boston's continuing reliance on a parcel-by-parcel approach where exceptions to existing zoning are the rule, and where the more predictable zoning that Mayor Walsh wants is still years away.