Housing Headlines

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of an affordable housing trust fund, which will give the town greater flexibility in using local funds to address the need for affordable housing, a shortage exacerbated when flood waters caused by Tropical Storm Irene damaged most of the homes at The Spruces mobile home park.

WORCESTER --- Local real estate watchers say the recent surge in sales of homes, condos and multifamilies for less than $100,000 is another sign that the region's real estate market is in recovery.

SALEM --- The battle over whether to save St. Jospeph's Church or knock it down to build affordable housing has intensified, with a local builder asking historic preservationists to stop distorting a report his company did to estimate the costs of renovating the church into housing as an alternative to razing it.

FALL RIVER - People have started moving into the new Eagle Community Care Estates, a rehabilitated 17-unit complex of permanent affordable housing created specifically for veterans, homeless families and people with low income. The Eagle Street property had been in foreclosure. Community Care Services refurbished the complex, providing residences for people in need while preventing further blight in the neighborhood.

BEVERLY --- The Beverly Housing Authority plans to build two, two-family homes near the Montserrat commuter rail station for low-income families. The houses will be built on Spring Street on land the housing authority bought from the MBTA in 2002. Construction is expected to start in late summer or early fall, with the homes opening sometime in 2013.

SOUTHBOROUGH - The developer of a proposed 140-apartment affordable housing complex on Rte. 9 has offered to pay the town $300,000 to reduce the project's impact - $120,000 less than the Zoning Board of Appeals wanted. Developer Robert Moss wants to build the complex on 17 acres at the intersection of Rte. 9 and Crystal Pond Road. ZBA chairman Matthew Hurley said the board initially asked Moss for $420,000 - $3,000 per condo - after some informal research of similar projects in surrounding towns. In a letter dated April 18, which Hurley said the ZBA hasn't discussed, Moss countered with an offer for $300,000 in three $100,000 installments spread over the construction of the buildings.