Housing Headlines

MARLBOROUGH --- Arguing that more than 10 percent of the town's housing is affordable, the lawyer for a developer who is proposing to build 60 townhouse condominiums is asking the city to let the developer pay $450,000 rather than include nine affordable units in the project. The city has an inclusionary zoning bylaw that requires all developments over 20 units to have 15 percent of units affordable but the developer is asking the city to amend this bylaw.

PROVINCETOWN --- After voting down to measures to buy land for affordable housing on the first night of town meeting, voters came back on the second night and voted down an article that proposed to transfer $1.1 million from the town's land bank fund to the CPA fund so it could also be used for affordable housing. During the discussion, one voter argued in favor of the measure by saying, "We need housing like we need oxygen."

HARVARD --- A super town meeting involving voters in Harvard, Shirley and Ayer will be set for later this year to allow residents to vote on a proposal by MassDevelopment to alter zoning so that senior housing can be built on the former Fort Devens army base site.

AMHERST --- Town officials are preparing a town meeting article that asks voters to give the town permission to make a formal appeal to the legislature for permission to grant tax incentives to developers who build affordable housing units.

GRAFTON --- Selectmen have voted to direct the town administrator to work with town counsel to rewrite a town meeting article to specify that funds from a $1.3 million settlement with a developer over excess profits realized in a Ch. 40B development are deposited into the town's housing trust and not its general fund.

BOSTON --- A national foundation that promotes excellence in land use is working with the City of Boston to evaluate transit-oriented, other residential, and commercial development opportunities along a one-mile stretch of Washington Street between the Forest Hills MBTA station and Egleston Square.