Housing Headlines

SALEM --- The Planning Office for Urban Affairs (POUA) is moving forward with redevelopment plans for the former St. Joseph Church property. The project includes the redevelopment of the former St. Joseph School building into 20 apartments for the elderly and the new construction of a building on Lafayette Street that will hold 45 affordable rental units. POUA needs the site to pass a historical review and funding to be finalized before moving to the town for approval.

HINGHAM --- The Father Bills & MainSpring organization recently requested $25,000 in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to create veterans housing at 111 and 113 Fort Hill Street. The funding would go towards the demolition of a duplex and the new construction of a six-bedroom house that would serve as a permanent veterans' home. The projected completion date for the project, contingent on financing coming through, is set for late fall of 2010 or early 2011.

WORCESTER --- Earlier this month, the City Council began discussing whether to put a cap on the amount of affordable housing built in the city after learning that plans to convert the former Worcester Voke school involved making the housing affordable.

BOSTON --- The Boston Redevelopment Authority recently approved the relocation of the Charlesview affordable housing complex in Allston. Community Builders Inc. developers plan to construct a new complex of 240 rental apartments and 100 condominium units at the former Brighton Mills shopping plaza on Western Avenue and on another parcel on Telford Street. The Charlesview complex is currently located near Harvard Stadium and at more than 40 years old is "near the end of its useful life," according to the BRA.

WEYMOUTH ---Beacon Communities LLC recently purchased a 90-unit rental complex on King Avenue and has committed to preserving two-thirds of the units as affordable apartments for residents earning at or below 80 percent of the area median income (AMI). Additionally, the city contributed $250,000 towards keeping the 65 rental units affordable.

BERLIN --- Town meeting voters recently approved articles that will allow the creation of a mixed-use village on a 114-acre site near the Solomon Pond Mall. The village will include a cluster of residential and commercial properties, including townhouses, apartments, a pharmacy, a village market, office space, retail space and an assisted living community. A total of 205 residential units are proposed in the village plan. To read more about this plan, visit the Town of Berlin's website at http://townofberlin.com/