Housing Headlines

FALMOUTH --- Atria developers presented a 125-unit elderly 40B rental development proposal earlier this month to complement their existing 99-unit Woodbriar development at the same location. Last year, town officials indefinitely postponed Atria's plans to expand their development, citing that their services were only affordable for the town's wealthiest residents. The new development will reserve 20 units for affordable housing in response to the town's input. The proposal will be reviewed by the state to determine financial feasibility as well as how it relates to the needs of the community before any further steps are taken.

QUINCY --- The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) recently initiated their first project outside of Boston, purchasing property on Fort Street that they plan to turn into a 34-unit affordable housing rental complex. The development would offer one- and two-bedroom apartments with 27 units targeted to households with annual incomes of $34,000 to $60,000 and seven units targeted to households with annual incomes of $30,000 or less. Additionally, three of the seven lower-income units would be reserved for handicapped tenants. Neighbors expressed concern over the potential influx of traffic and parking needs, as well as an increase in usage of the city's water and sewer system. The ACDC now needs to seek approval for their project from the city's zoning board.

HOLLISTON --- Last month, Michael Connearney of Mikals Construction Company presented a proposal to the city council to build 12 homeowner units, reserving three units for affordable housing. The 40B development would consist of two buildings with 6 three-bedroom homes in each. Selectmen and Town Administrator Paul LeBeau suggested decreasing the number of units down to 10 and splitting the units into three smaller buildings in order to make the development less dense. Selectmen Chairman Will McColl said he was pleased with the three-bedroom units and thought that they would be "what the market in this town would be interested in."

PLYMOUTH --- Cubellis, an international architecture, interior design, and engineering firm, has been selected by Cordage developers to lead the 40R smart-growth redevelopment of the historic Cordage park property. The Seaport at Cordage will be a multi-use development including 675 residential units in addition to retail, office, and hotel space. Two apartment buildings will designate 25 percent of rental units as affordable, and two condo buildings will reserve 20 percent of their units as affordable. Doug Hartnett , Principal of Development at Cubellis, said, "We are planning a renaissance for this commerce center that will exceed [the town's] expectations and give them yet another reason to feel proud." A master plan of the redevelopment has already earned the town's approval.

LUNENBURG --- Great Bridge Properties LLC developers have received $2.8 million in loans from MassHousing for the first phase of the Tri-Town Landing apartment development. The smart-growth complex will consist of 66 rental units, 60 of which will be reserved for low-income residents. Of the low income units, 52 will be made available to residents that earn up to 60 percent of the area's median income (AMI) and the eight additional units will be reserved for residents earning less than 50 percent of AMI. Tri-Town Landing is part of a smart growth district in Lunenburg that is proposed to include 204 housing units on 8.7 acres at a former drive-in movie theater site.

WALTHAM --- The city will be holding a meeting soon to discuss dissolving the Waltham Housing Partnership Committee and transferring the funds they oversee to the newly-formed affordable housing trust. Last December, the city council voted to establish a municipal affordable housing trust, which has the power to own and manage affordable housing projects. Councilor Ed Tarallo said that the trust has more power than the housing partnership, can offer longer leases than the city can, and "has a lot more roles."