Housing Headlines

LAWRENCE --- WinnCompanies recently joined with federal, state and local officials to open one of the first all-electric mixed-income multifamily properties in Massachusetts, cutting the ribbon on a $39.2 million adaptive reuse development that transformed the oldest mill in Lawrence, MA, into 86 units of rental housing.

SPRINGFIELD --- A ribbon cutting was held recently in Springfield for nearly 100 affordable housing units in the city's Mason Square neighborhood. The units are located inside the historic Knox Automobile building, which had been long neglected before it was converted to housing by developer First Resource. The Knox building sits across the street from a former plant for the Indian Motorcycle Company. Also redeveloped by First Resource, it has another 200 affordable housing units.

FALMOUTH --- The former Royal Falmouth Nursing & Rehabilitation Center at 545 Main Street is one step closer to being an affordable housing complex. The community preservation committee approved $2.4 million in funding for the project at its August 22 meeting. The developer received approval from the zoning board of appeals for the 67 affordable units.

STATE --- The state has issued a request for quotes from organizations willing to develop a common application for privately-owned, publicly subsidized housing. Massachusetts already operates a website called CHAMP, a common application for state-run public housing. A common application would let people reuse uploaded data and documents for multiple applications, update those documents as needed, and view the status of their applications.

BROOKLINE --- A developer’s proposal to build a six-story apartment building on the vacant site of a former bank on Harvard Street has frustrated town officials and raised new questions about the role of zoning in shaping Brookline’s housing landscape. Town officials say a proposed 40-unit building at 429 Harvard Street, on the corner of Coolidge Street, flies in the face of the community-led zoning plan. The architect told the Select Board that Oak Hill Properties proposes to demolish the existing Citizens Bank structure and build a 72-foot-high building in its place. The developer might be able to build at six stories because of Chapter 40b. The attorney for Oak Hill said her client considered four stories but "the numbers didn't crunch."

BREWSTER --The Town of Brewster has been designated as a Housing Choice Community by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. The initiative provides incentives, rewards, technical assistance, and targeted legislative reform to encourage and empower municipalities to plan and build diverse housing options. Brewster is now eligible to apply for an exclusive grant program for up to $500,000 in funding through the state’s Community Compact program.