Housing Headlines

SHARON --- The second appraisal of a parcel of land planned for a 40B effort has cut its value in half, leading the developer to reassess the size of the effort.

ASHLAND --- A 40B proposal that would add 32 three- and four-bedroom units on 13 acres of land awaits approval from the state. This would be the third 40B proposal recently submitted in the town, which currently has about four percent affordable housing.

WORCESTER --- Developers have begun an effort in Worcester's downtown arts district in hopes of attracting young middle-income workers to the city. The effort will rehab an entire city block into an 'urban village' comprised of 185 mixed-income condo and apartment units with commercial space on the ground floor.

In a list of the next hot neighborhoods in 10 of the country's biggest cities, <i>BusinessWeek </i> magazine describes Dorchester as an up-and-coming neighborhood that remains an affordable place to live and own a home.

NEWBURYPORT - With the city poised to decide what to do with its remaining downtown waterfront lots and with retail developer Steven Karp owning much of the land, the Newburyport News has launched a series looking back on how the city nixed an urban renewal plan heavy on demolition and instead embarked on a preservation effort that keyed Newburyport's restoration. The series aims to start a dialogue about the city's future by first looking at how it made past development decisions.

WALTHAM --- The housing authority answered questions about its plans for appropriating 60 percent of this year's funds towards administrative costs rather than tenants' needs.