Housing Headlines

HARWICH --- Harwich selectmen turned down a written request from the town of Walpole to join an effort to suspend a state law that allows "unfriendly 40Bs." Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40B enables the construction of affordable housing developments to be streamlined under a special comprehensive permit issued by individual towns. Walpole selectmen have sent the request to every municipality in the commonwealth.

SCITUATE --- The Walpole Board of Selectmen is proposing a moratorium on 40B development throughout the state, and is appealing to other towns for help. Scituate however, will not be signing on, as selectmen voted unanimously on June 19 not to endorse a letter from Walpole's selectmen.

LAWRENCE --- The North Common section of Lawrence is getting a new look this spring, thanks to the opening of 10 homeownership units with solar panels on the roof and green features throughout, that will all be affordable to low- and moderate-income families.

JAMAICA PLAIN --- With assistance from the non-profit City Life/Vida Urbana and funding from the City of Boston among other sources, residents have renovated five triple-decker apartments that were previously neglected by absentee landlords, into homes for 15 families, called the Rockvale Circle Cooperative.

AMHERST --- A 27-unit low-income housing project on Longmeadow Drive can proceed after a five-year delay, following the Supreme Judicial Court's rejection of an appeal filed by a group of neighbors.

BOSTON --- A study conducted by the MIT Center for Real Estate reveals that in communities south of Boston, only 41 percent of 40B efforts have survived local town appeals. Across Greater Boston, the success rate for proposed 40B projects has been significantly higher, at 57 percent.