Housing Headlines

HYANNIS --- A letter to the editor by a tourist from Kentucky sparked a widespread debate on social media and in the community about how to handle the large homeless population in downtown Hyannis.

BOSTON --- Mayor Walsh's housing goal of 53,000 units in 15 years has developers eyeballing the city's surplus land while neighborhood groups are concerned these parcels will be awarded before an overall neighborhood plan is put into place. This is especially true in Roxbury, where the highest share of vacant land is located.

SOMERVILLE --- A consultant's plan to push forward on a community benefits agreement for the billion-dollar Union Square redevelopment was met with resistance at a recent public meeting, with neighborhood groups pushing for a more open process with more public meetings.

BARNSTABLE --- A Hyannis-based housing agency's purchase of a home for a Cape family is being investigated by the state attorney general's office after a longtime employee of the agency reported that the deal may have deviated from usual procedures, the Cape Cod Times is reporting.

(Aug. 8, 2015) --- In an op-ed piece for Fox News, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown urges presidential candidates in New Hampshire to talk housing because there's a shortage of affordable housing in the Granite State and voters are concerned about it.

WOBURN --- Four towns in the Woburn Daily Times newspaper company's coverage area are wrestling with Ch. 40B housing proposals totalling 341 units. Two towns - Woburn and Stoneham - are contesting in court the state's decision to overturn each town's denial of a 40B permit while Reading and Winchester are just beginning to debate the merits of Ch. 40B proposals before them.