June
2
2020
BOSTON --- In the wake of the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations reiterates its commitment to racial equity and advocating for policies that would reduce wealth and income inequality.
June
1
2020
BOSTON --- Mattapan residents have voiced concerns about receiving insufficient notice about a meeting held to discuss plans to build 367 units at Boston State Hospital. Local groups are asking to be included in further discussions, especially concerning commitments to hiring people of color during construction. The development team - Toll Brothers and a local team headed by local developer Kirk Sykes - have been meeting with the state and have the backing of the Boston State Hospital Advisory Committee, created by the state in 1985 to ensure residents have a say in the state hospital's redevelopment.
June
1
2020
NEWTON --- With zoning OK'd last last year, developers of the Riverside MBTA station have been continuing discussions with the City of Newton's Land Use Committee regarding the project's special permit application, which also needs a two-thirds vote of the City Council. Mark Development and Normandy Real Estate hope to build a 10-building mixed-use development with 582 apartments on 13 acres. The Land Use Committee is aiming to put something before the City Council by July, with a council vote coming as early as September.
June
1
2020
MEDFORD --- Using $250,000 it OK'd for use from its Community Preservation Act fund, the City of Medford has created a fund to provide short-term rent relief to income-qualified residents who are struggling to pay their rent due to COVID-19. The program is being administered by the Action for Boston Community Development, a Boston-based regional nonprofit.
May
22
2020
WEYMOUTH --- The town will spend $200,000 to buy 13 acres of tax-delinquent, contaminated land and hopes to attract a developer who would clean up the site and develop mixed-income housing with at least 25 percent of the units affordable. The hazardous waste is said to be dredged materials from the Fore River and construction debris, such as ceiling tiles from Weymouth High School. The city estimates the clean-up costs would be between $3 and $4 million.
May
22
2020
BOSTON --- In it's latest newsletter, LISC Boston takes a pause from its ongoing COVID-19 response activities to tout some of its pre-crisis work, including a partnership with Partners HealthCare to provide early financing to affordable housing developers seeking to build apartments near transit. The fund is a joint effort that includes The Boston Foundation, Hyams Foundation, MassDevelopment and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.