Housing Headlines

EASTHAM --- Selectman will soon put out another proposal hoping to attract a developer who would build up to 132 units of affordable rental housing on 11.2 acres the town bought 15 years ago. (Cape Cod Times).

WORCESTER --- After concluding that converting the former Notre Dame church into a hotel or a performing arts center would prove too costly, developers of the downtown $565 million mixed-use CitySquare project say they will ask the city if they can demolish the 87-year-old church, once the grandest of the four French Canadian churches in the city.

GLOUCESTER --- Gloucester’s mayor and the head of the American Legion Post are asking that any permit allowing for the former Cameron House to be turned into a 30-unit affordable housing development include stipulations that 70 percent of the units be set aside for city residents or veterans.

HINGHAM --- Upscale Hingham is attracting significant interest from developers and renewed resident concerns about the impacts of new housing, namely Avalon Bay's hopes to build 190 apartments near its 235-unit 2008 project and Alliance Residential of Phoenix' interest in building apartments on the old Hingham Mutual Fire Insurance building site.

CHELMSFORD --- Attorney William Harvey's five-unit 40B now moves onto the zoning board of appeals selectmen gave their initial approval following some spirited debate about the size of the proposal during a recent selectmen's meeting.

TRURO --- A warrant for the April 26 town meeting will ask voters to authorize selectmen to buy four acres from the state Dept. of Transportation for affordable housing. The land is located at the intersection of Rt. 6 and Highland Road and the town would use it to construct at least 16 units of affordable housing.