Housing Headlines

LOWELL --- While noting that the long-term aim is to give the homeless "beds they deserve," the city council has passed a measure authorizing the city manager to remove tents, trash and drug paraphernalia from an area under the Lord Highway Overpass because it's "a gateway area for the city" and should be cleaned up.

FALL RIVER --- In an effort to understand its housing situation and to develop a strategy going forward, a city-wide effort led by state Rep. Carole Fiola has resulted in the city engaging the UMass Dartmouth's Public Policy Center to do a six-month study that would quantify types of housing in the city, is this housing meeting the city's needs and what options does the city have to create housing that would address any gaps between supply and demand.

BOSTON --- Two development teams have submitted mixed-income bids or an MBTA-owned parcel next to its Mattapan Station. Boston's Trinity Financial has proposed three six-story buildings with 267 residential units while Nuestra Comunidad has partnered with Preservation of Affordable Housing Inc. to propose 135 units and 10,000 square feet of retail.

NEW BEDFORD — Of 3,850 arrests in the city last year, 2.36 percent occurred on public housing property, a number that reflects the New Bedford Housing Authority's concerted effort to reduce crime and provide residents with safe, quality housing, public officials said. Housing Authority Director Steve Beauregard credited the stats on a three-year effort to improve safety, which included the installation of 130 security cameras.

WORCESTER --- A Main St. 68-bed rooming house known as the Albion has been put on the market for $1.1 million and neighborhood residents are hopeful about new ownership of the troubled property, which has been plagued by code violations, criminal activity and somebody dying "every 60 days" according to a former building manager.

QUINCY --- An update on Quincy's "luxury at a discount" urban renewal, which took off after the selected master developer plan failed, forcing the city to focus on one parcel at a time, a strategy which has resulted in 500 units proposed or under construction, and another 500 expected in the next few years.