Housing Headlines

TYRINGHAM --- The tiny town of Tyringham - population 1,500 in the summer and under 400 in the offseason - completed a quest that began back in 2004 as the town's Affordable Housing Association used $175,000 in funds it has raised to purchase a small home that will be offered to a qualified household as affordable housing.

OAK BLUFFS -- In a shift from its usual focus on creating single homes, the Oak Bluffs Affordable Housing Committee has voted unanimously to work on a Request for Proposals for the construction and management of 32 two-bedroom modular apartments on a 9-acre town site.

MANCHESTER ---On the final night of Town Meeting, Manchester residents voted 136-100 to adopt a local housing trust fund that would be used to create and preserve affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households.

CHELSEA --- The Chelsea Housing Authority has put out an Request for Proposal in hopes of partnering with a private developer in the redevelopment of Union Park Apartments, an eight-building, 96-unit public housing neighborhood on Central Ave. and Walnut Street.

WORCESTER --- The downtown revitalization plan designed to guide the Worcester's development efforts over the next 20 years has been released by the Worcester Redevelopment Authority, covering over 118 acres of land including some that can be taken from owners by eminent domain.

SUDBURY – In a letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals, the lawyer for Sudbury Station says town opposition to the planned affordable housing development is based on prejudice, alleging that one town official said the Ch. 40B proposal would bring "riff-raff" to town and that residents at a hearing called supporters of the project "white trash." Sudbury Station is one of two Ch. 40B proposals currently before the town and thus far the town has indicated initial support for the other one, a mixed-use project proposed by Avalon Bay and National Development for the Raytheon site.