Housing Headlines

BOSTON --- Seven years after economic troubles forced the Lena Park Community Development Corp. to leave its longtime home on American Legion Highway, the organization has regrouped and returned to its headquarters, which has been refurbished and will once again offer programs like child care, computer literacy and personal finance training to the residents of Franklin Hill.

BOSTON --- The Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure has finalized the purchase of 10 formerly foreclosed properties in the Four Corners neighborhood of Dorchester as part of their ongoing effort to help families stay in their homes, avoid displacement and reduce the wave of gentrification that is hitting neighborhoods along the new Fairmount commuter rail line.

ARLINGTON --- With only 5.64 percent of its housing considered affordable and faced with a 219-unit Ch. 40B proposal it doesn't want, the Town of Arlington has hired a law firm to explore whether the town can block the project by determining if it meets the requirement of having affordable housing on 1.5 percent of its buildable land.

MEDWAY --- Selectmen have voted to send a 10-page letter to the state voicing its concerns over a developer's proposal to build 76 homes and 116 condos on land owned by former resident Henry Wickett. Prior to the development proposal by Timber Crest LLC, Wickett had offered the land to the town several times but the town never moved forward on the deal, citing wetland concerns.

IPSWICH --- With rents in town averaging $1,500 a month for a two-bedroom, Ipswich Housing Coordinator Terry Anderson agrees there's a crisis in terms of affordability while a local realtor says short supply in the rental market is being further exacerbated by prospective buyers who can't find a home and are still renting.

EASTON --- Despite having local funding tools like the Community Preservation Act and a local housing trust in place, Easton officials are still worried about the town's ability to provide affordable housing for families making around $50,000 per year.