Housing Headlines

NORWOOD --- With town meeting poised to vote on whether to make the Plimpton Press property a 40R smart growth zoning district, preliminary discussions centered not on the project but on whether 1.5 percent of the town's land is being used for affordable housing. An independent consultant says the town has passed that threshold and could deny proposals like Plimpton's but the town says it is over an acre short.

SANDWICH --- Thanks to decisions by town meeting, the Sandwich Housing Authority is moving ahead with plans to renovate public housing units and create new affordable units on George Fernandes Way.

MARTHA'S VINEYARD --- With the economy improving, the number of year-round residents who are scrambling to find full-time housing or temporary housing for the summer is growing, with one family illustrating the plight by filming a documentary about their search for housing.

NORWELL - The future of the police station property on River Street is still undecided after town meeting Monday night narrowly rejected a plan to transfer the property for an affordable housing development. The 106-95 vote against the transfer allows the town's American Legion Post to continue to make its bid on the site.

BROOKLINE --- A new development team is seeking approval to begin construction on an approved but never built development in the Coolidge Corner area. The new proposal calls for a six-story building with 65 units down from 68 units approved in the first project. The new project will also shift from two- and three-bedroom units to mostly one-bedroom units.

SOUTHBOROUGH --- The developer of a proposed 180-unit condo complex near Routes 9 and 495 said he will appeal the ZBA's denial of his Ch. 40B permit request, saying that the town's claim that it is eligible for a one-year reprieve from such applications was made one day after he filed for his comprehensive permit.