Housing Headlines

BARNSTABLE --- Describing it as ra esponse to recent public debate about how to reduce beds at a downtown Hyannis homeless facility, the Cape's county commissioner and a local housing advocate have announced the formation of new regional committee that will work to find permanent housing for the homeless.

CONCORD --- Developers of a 350-unit affordable housing development in West Concord recently announced that they will most likely be breaking ground on the project in a few weeks. When completed, the rental project will consist of one and two bedroom apartments with 88 units set aside for lower-income renters.

LUNENBURG -- Holliston developer Jon Juhl's plans to convert the old Lunenburg Primary School into 40 one-bedroom affordable apartments for seniors 62 and over suffered a setback recently when his application for federal financing was passed over.

WEST TISBURY --- In what would be a first for Massachusetts, the town of West Tisbury is considering a way for homeowners to bequeath property to the affordable housing pool in exchange for a tax abatement based on its reduced value while they live.

WORCESTER --- A celebration to mark the progress of a decade-long, multi-million dollar public-private effort to revitalize 30 acres in the Main South neighborhood also rekindled talk as to how the city's community development corporations will fit into the city's evolving housing policy, which has proposed expanding grant opportunities to more private developers.

EASTHAMPTON --- With voters about to decide whether to authorize a bond to build a new high school, the town received some good news as the state will reimburse the town for 64 percent of the cost, one percent and $400,000 more than the town expected. Officials say the town received "bonus" points for having adopted higher density zoning for housing in the spring.