Housing Headlines

SOMERVILLE --- With over 100 units already in its portfolio and more on the way, the non-profit Somerville Community Corp. is making a bid to buy the former Boys & Girls Club near Union Square and use the property for affordable housing near the MBTA's planned new green line extension.

LITTLETON --- The town's Zoning Board of Appeals has ruled that Omni Properties' comprehensive permit (Ch. 40B) application is complete and has scheduled a public hearing for September so residents can voice their concerns about the proposed 200-unit rental project.

HARVARD --- The town-appointed team responsible for vetting development proposals for nearby Fort Devens is probing Trinity Financial's proposal to build 246 mixed-income rental units on land previously zoned for commercial use. Trinity has proposed that four out of every five units will serve households making less than 60 percent of area median income and the town's analysis team is trying to figure out who might qualify for those units.

BOSTON --- AvalonBay Communities Inc. recently proposed the new construction of a 404-unit apartment tower downtown. The 29-story tower would contain studio and one- and two-bedroom apartments with 15 percent of the units designated as affordable. A community meeting is planned for next month to provide more details about the development to neighbors.

LOWELL --- The Coalition for a Better Acre (CBA) non-profit developers recently received a $234,000 federal grant to improve the Carriage Place Apartments on Middlesex Street. The grant will help the developers make green energy, structural, and cosmetic improvements to the four-story, 24 unit affordable rental complex. CBA is one of 115 organizations to receive a total of $34.9 million to rehabilitate or finance the rehabilitation of affordable housing projects nationwide.

GROTON --- The developer of a proposed mixed-use project at the site of the former Groton Trading Post recently submitted an official plan for residents to review. The Boynton Meadows at Gibbet Hill project will create 18 condo/townhouse units and commercial spaces, including a restaurant. The town negotiated a deal to provide the developer with $412,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding as its investment in exchange for the designation of three of the 18 condo/townhouse units as affordable and a return on the town's investment.