Housing Headlines

HYANNIS --- The group seeking to replace the NOAH Shelter for homeless people with a smaller “transitional” center has identified several possible sites for the project, but each one has drawbacks. The group envisions its “Transitional Living Center of Cape Cod” as a shelter with 35 beds – 20 fewer than the NOAH Shelter has – and a day program that could accommodate 64 people. Organizer Deb Krau said a big piece of the operation would be a commercial kitchen that would provide job training for clients, who would be involved in preparing three meals a day and keeping the facility clean.

SOMERVILLE --- While residents have proposed requiring 20 percent of all new residential development in the city to be affordable housing, the city's planning board is only recommending that percentage for large projects, retaining previous standards for smaller ones. The planning staff’s recommendations includes requiring 20 percent of developments with 20 or more residential units to be affordable and 15 percent of projects between seven and 19 units to be affordable. Developments with six or less units would be exempt from the inclusionary zoning requirement, except for projects with three and six units in some residential districts, which would have a 12.5 percent threshold.

MANSFIELD --- Developers are seeking a special permit from the town so it move forward with its $35 million plan to transform the former Archer Daniels Midland chocolate plant on Oakland Street into a mixed-use development with 130 apartments,19 of them affordable.

WAREHAM --- Approximately 75 low-income people who have been living in Wareham motels could be displaced as of May 22 when the town's new board of health policies will require motels who rent to long-term tenants to upgrade their facilities with dining quarters and upgraded sprinkler systems. As of now, only one of the five motels in town that does long-term rents has complied with the town's new health bylaws.

MELROSE --- In an unusual move, Mayor Rob Dolan wrote a letter to the planning board expressing his opposition to developer Angus Bruce's proposal to build 13 single-family homes on a wooded 8.7 acres near Mount Hope Golf Course. Dolan also said the city would not be threatened by Bruce's counter plan to build 165 units with a Ch. 40B permit if the town didn't vote favorably on his proposal. The planning board subsequently voted down Bruce's proposal. (Melrose Free Press).

HYANNIS --- While acknowledging that supportive service for the homeless in most effective when done at home, a Barnstable town councilor who is co-founder of an organization that helps the homeless suggested temporarily sending the growing population of homeless off Cape for treatment while the community works on replacing the downtown Hyannis homeless shelter with a larger facility elsewhere. (Cape Cod Times)