Housing Headlines

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.

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.

READING --- The Metropolitan Area Planning Council announced today that it has awarded the town a $27,000 grant to explore future development in selected growth areas and to make the permitting process easier for applicants.

PROVINCETOWN --- A town meeting article proposing that the town spend $1.75 million to buy three-quarters of an acre so it could be developed into 25 homes for year-round families failed to garner the two-thirds majority needed for passage, causing one of the town's longtime renters to say, "These people think they have empathy, but until you rent, you have no idea what it's like. Until you are in that position of not having a home, and you feel that panic, you don't understand."

TRURO --- Four of five selectman support bringing an article to spring town meeting that would lift a 1980s bylaw that prohibits anyone from living year-round in a unit that was converted from a cottage, cabin, motel or hotel room into a condominium. The measure is being considered to provide more affordable housing and to attract more workers to live in Truro year-round.

PROVINCETOWN --- Town meeting will be asked to consider two housing measures, one to spend $1.7 million in CPA funds to purchase land that would be used to construct six affordable homes for families. A second measure calls for the creation of a $500,000 fund that would enable the town to buy properties that could be used as year-round rentals.