Housing Headlines

WELLESLEY --- Discussions about Wellesley College selling 47 acres to the town have been deferred until after the upcoming fall special town meeting. The parties have been in discussion about the property across from Wellesley College, which has been valued at $25 million. Wellesley College is selling the land to fund a campus renewal project and the town has signaled interest so as to control development of the property. Voters would have to approve such a purchase at a special town meeting.

QUINCY --- By 2030, Quincy needs to increase its total housing stock by nearly 20 percent in order to keep up with market demand and population growth, according to research done by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

BOSTON --- In announcing his administration's ambitious plan to build 53,000 new units of housing by 2030, Mayor Martin J. Walsh resurrected the idea of of having the city adopt the Community Preservation Act, something the city voted down in 2001 after a concerted effort by businesses to defeat the measure. Since then, the number of communities in Mass. that have adopted CPA has grown to 155.

WESTPORT --- The town's affordable housing trust is offering a new program that will provide funds to developers who build projects in which 30 percent of the units are affordable.

SPRINGFIELD --- State and local officials gathered in downtown Springfield recently to celebrate the $9.45 million renovation of four buildings and 47 affordable apartments that were badly damaged when a tornado ripped through the city on June 1, 2011. The properties are owned and managed by Home City Housing, a Springfield-based non-profit.

BOSTON --- State officials have teamed up with cities and towns north of Greater Boston to put together a list of developer-friendly neighborhoods and parcels. The list includes Charlestown's Sullivan Square, Revere Beach, downtown Malden and the East Boston waterfront. report builds upon previous regional planning efforts completed during the Patrick Administration, including the South Coast Rail Corridor Plan and the 495/Metrowest Development Compact Plan.