Housing Headlines

NORTHAMPTON --- The planning board is expected to hear about HAPHousing's plans to buy and demolish Northampton Lodging and replace it with a five-story apartment building with 48 affordable and 24 market-rate apartments. The existing building is a longtime single-room lodging house with 58 units.

BOSTON --- A former bread factory site in Uphams Corner that was once targeted to become an municipal storage yard is now being sought by three developers who propose to turn the property into a mixed-use site and capitalize on its location near the new Fairmount commuter line.

WAYLAND --- Developers of the luxury Covered Bridge housing development have withdrawn a request to build the required affordable units off site after residents near the off-site Cochituate location objected, noting that 85 percent of the town's affordable housing is located in that part of town.

STONEHAM --- On Dec. 11, the state Housing Appeals Committee is expected to hold a hearing on its earlier decision to reject the town's claim that a 264-unit Ch. 40B proposal should be denied because the project is not consistent with local needs and because the town has already met its criteria for affordable housing.

ARLINGTON --- The town's redevelopment board has voted to let the Housing Corporation of Arlington renovate the historic Kimball Farmer House into three units of affordable rental housing.

WALTHAM --- A city committee has voted to pay money into the city's affordable housing trust fund rather than make two of the 24 condos planned for the Banks School affordable. The Ordinance and Rules Committee also voted to pay back $1.4 million which was borrowed from the trust to help pay for the first stage of renovations at the school.