Housing Headlines

SALEM --- The city's historic preservation group is continuing the six-year battle to stop the Planning Office of Urban Affairs (POUA) from demolishing St. Joseph's Church to make way for 51 affordable apartments. Historic Salem Inc. is threatening legal action and urging the developer to reconsider its request to remodel the church into an apartment building, something the devloper has said is uneconomic.

BRIDGEWATER - Bridgewater's newly hired town planner hopes to have a housing production plan in place soon to better deal with large affordable-housing projects. Town Planner Greg Guimond explained that if the town can create a plan and produce a certain number of affordable housing units per year, it will gain more control over larger projects proposed under the state law known as Chapter 40B.

In an effort to spark economic development in the state's so-called Gateway Cities, the Patrick Administration is putting the final touches on the Housing Development Incentive Program, a tax credit program designed to support the development of market-rate housing.

EDGARTOWN --- Edgartown selectmen have voted to authorize an additional $3,000 to subsidize rents at the Morgan Woods affordable housing development in the current fiscal year. The money, which will come from the town's Affordable Housing Trust, is needed because rents for the market-rate units in the project have fallen below what was originally projected.

HOLYOKE --- The Holyoke Housing Authority will seek approval from the federal government to demolish the Lyman Terrace public housing complex, explaining that it would cost $24 million to renovatae the project. The 167-unit development is home to 400 resdients. After demolition, the authority said it would like to issue an RFP and have a developer build new affordable housing on the property.

UXBRIDGE --- The Uxbridge Housing Associates (UHA) recently presented a plan to selectmen to convert the historic Virginia A. Blanchard school building into affordable housing units. The preliminary plans include 21 apartments, 14 two-bedroom units and seven one-bedroom units. All units will be affordable with the hopes that local families and veterans would live in the units. If UHA was awarded the contract to develop the site they would seek state and federal funding in the fall.