Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- In February, a development team led by Inquilinos Boricuas en Accion CEO Vanessa Calderon-Rosado met with about 40 residents to discuss IBA's collaboration with the Boston Housing Authority on the rehabilitation of 146 residential units located mostly on West Newton Street. Maintaining the neighborhood's historic look, security and converting some units to accessible units were some of the issues discussed.

PROVINCETOWN — Developers of one to five units who don’t include affordable or community housing units in their projects must pay three percent of the average value of each new unit into town's housing fund — if the April 4 Town Meeting approves the proposed inclusionary housing bylaw.

HINGHAM --- Eight years after building its first such development, Avalon Communities was back before the zoning board of appeals to unveil plans for a 250-unit CH. 40B development at the Hingham Shipyard.

BOSTON --- Five years ago, James Newton was struggling. Widowed, unemployed and raising a 13-year-old son with special needs, Newton said, "I was depressed .... I needed so much help with everything." Fast forward to today and Newton is working towards a college degree and is saving to buy a home thanks to the support he's received from the Metropolitan Boston Housing Partnership's Family Self-Sufficiency Program.

AMHERST --- In an effort to help the homeless and unemployed, the town now has a service center where people can go during the day to work with staff on finding housing. Called Amherst Community Connections, the facility is located in the basement of the Unitarian Universalist Society.

SUDBURY --- At a zoning board of appeals meeting, members mentioned scaling back the proposed Avalon Bay affordable housing development, with one member worrying about how the 250-unit complex and the number of buildings would look from Horse Pond Road.