Housing Headlines

PITTSFIELD --- A neighborhood community group is holding a public meeting to voice concerns about the city's consideration of adopting a smart growth overlay district and a tax-break incentives that would promote downtown development. The city already has granted a special permit to a developer who proposes to build 43 new affordable housing units downtown.

LANCASTER --- Selectmen have approved the town's purchase a home from the state Department of Housing and Urban Development for $1. The purchase is part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Good Neighbor Program, which promotes the development of affordable housing by facilitating the sale of aged HUD inventory to local governments. The town hopes to turn the home into affordable housing by donating it to a nonprofit organization.

LOWELL --- The 115 artists on the list for 68 proposed affordable live/work lofts will have to wait a bit longer as the city's zoning board of appeals has raised a variety of concerns about the plan to turn five manufacturing buildings into housing.

LITTLETON --- The 55-and-over affordable housing project that was sold at auction this spring appears to be doing better, according to the new owners. Emanouil Development of Chelmsford, which bought the incomplete Charles Ridge 40B development for $3.5 million, reports that it has sold five townhouses and has three more under agreement. The plan calls for 43 units, 11 of which will be affordable.

BOSTON --- Corcoran Jenison Companies have submitted documents to the Boston Redevelopment Authority regarding plans to redevelop the 29-acre Bayside Expo Center site into a new shopping and rental residential complex. The submission, received in advance of a July 21 public meeting, surprised some as the development process was not expected to begin until the fall.

ROSLINDALE --- Florence Apartment tenants say they're encouraged by reports that the development company co-owned by former Red Sox hitter Mo Vaughn plans to keep their 138-unit building affordable. Vaughn's Omni New York LLC has announced plans to buy the the Roslindale property and another property in Jamaica Plan.