Housing Headlines

WHATELY --- With small, detached "in-law" homes completed or nearly done in Easthampton, Whately and Florence, Backyard ADUs has been recognized with a Small Home Hero Award by the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. The annual award is part of Habitat PV's push to encourage the building of simple, durable, affordable homes in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

GLOUCESTER --- After receiving favorable reviews in a public hearing, the Planning Board will recommend that the City Council adopt a series of changes to strengthen the city's inclusionary zoning law, including lowering the threshold from eight to six units, and requiring that projects of 10 units or greater make15 percent of the units affordable. Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken praised the Planning Board. “We are mixed use and mixed heritage, but we are also mixed income,” she said. “What you are doing is the first step of giving hope.”

NORTH ANDOVER --- The longtime owner of the Royal Crest Estates is talking with Boston-based development Trinity Financial about replacing the 50-year-old, 76-acre 588-apartment and student housing complex with a mixed-use residential complex that would include a hotel, office space, retail, Merrimack College dormitories and 993 apartments, 90 of which would be affordable.

HARWICH --- Despite protests from neighbors about increased parking, the town's planning board voted 6-1 to OK the conversion of the former 31-unit Royal of Harwich assisted living facility into 26 apartments. The proposal is permissible due to a town meeting vote last year to change multifamily zoning to encourage apartments. The new regulations lower the acreage requirement and bases the number of units on septic capacity and parking requirements.

TRURO --- Two neighbors who say they aren't against the Cloverleaf affordable housing development have filed suit to modify or annul it, arguing that the town did not account for traffic and parking impacts and approved the project with an "unproven" septic system.

CHATHAM --- Reacting based on need and a flurry of support from residents, the select board voted recently to support the idea of using 19 acres of town land off Middle Road for affordable housing development. Final decision lies with voters, who will likely be asked to declare the site as surplus property at May town meeting.