Housing News Roundup

Falmouth: Developers propose 40B assisted living facility FALMOUTH --- Developers have presented an overview to selectmen of a proposed 40B "green" assisted living facility on Gifford Street. The new building will consist of 125 rental units, 25 priced as affordable, in studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom layouts throughout the 131,000 square feet space. The LEED-certified building will also contain amenities for the residents such as a bank and a restaurant. Selectmen look forward to a upcoming developer-led tour of the site where they will learn more about the proposal.

Lawrence: Foreclosed homes get caught in ownership web LAWRENCE --- One of the reasons why the foreclosure crisis is so hard to solve is that it takes months for a buyer to work through the tangled web of ownership that ensnares many troubled properties. Lawrence Eagle Tribune Business Editor Bill Kirk details this in examining why it took Lawrence Community Works six months to purchase a multi-family property that had been foreclosed.

Scituate: Developer requests change from condo to rental units SCITUATE --- Stockbridge II Realty Trust recently requested a change in their 40B permit to build 48 rental units in place of the plan's proposed condominiums. The trust also requested board approval to reallocate four of the project's 18 affordable units from single-family homes to multi-family units. As an explanation for the request, a trust spokesman said, "Unfortunately, condominium projects that are based on the 'for sale' model are now considered high risk by many lenders�rental stream [projects] are seen as a safer paradigm." Neighbors are concerned that a community of rental units will decrease their housing values. The ZBA will hold a hearing on December 1 at 7 p.m. in the town's public library to discuss the proposed changes.

Dorchester: Synergy unveils vision for Columbia Point DORCHESTER --- Synergy developers have unveiled their vision for creating a new "main street" in the Columbia Point section of Boston, between the Boston Globe's newspaper plant and the JFK transit stop. The development will include at least four new side streets, 180,000 square feet of retail space, 500,000 square feet of office space, and 1,725 parking spaces. There will also be 700 units of housing, with 25 percent of those units being made affordable. The only concern that city officials and community members shared with Synergy is the possible height of the buildings making up the development.

Fall River: Watuppa Heights proposed units reduced FALL RIVER --- The City Council has adopted a resolution to reduce the proposed number of rebuilt, on-site units at Watuppa Heights, from an original "minimum 60 units" to 26 affordable single-family or rental units. All but two of the units will be made available to households with incomes below 30 percent of the area's median income. An unspecified number of additional units will be built with prices that stress affordability. The resolution also ensured a reduction in the city's financial commitment of grants funds to make off-site housing affordable, in addition to the elimination of their requirement to supply land for additional units.

Framingham: Former nursing home to become apartments FRAMINGHAM --- Advocates Inc. will soon begin construction to convert a former nursing home into eight affordable housing apartments with support for clients recovering from mental illnesses. The project has been in the planning stages for 12 years and is being financed with federal and state grant money. Advocates president and CEO William J. Taylor said residents will have an experience "in which they can have both privacy and a sense of community."

Easton: Former factory identified for 40B development EASTON --- Owners of the former Ames Shovel Company factory have proposed a 40B development of 182 units of housing with 30,000 square feet of office space on the 8-acre site. The construction plan requires the demolition of some of the original buildings and the expansion of others which has upset descendants of the original factory owners. The descendants are urging for the preservation of the historic buildings and are prepared to present alternative designs for the project to developers. The ZBA will discuss traffic concerns around the development site at a meeting on December 3, 2008.

Falmouth: Groups spar over viability of 15-unit housing plan FALMOUTH --- At a recent selectmen's meeting, housing developer Bob Murray spoke against the local housing committee's support of a 15-unit project known as Webster Woods. Murray, whose non-profit Falmouth Housing Corporation has created over 130 units of rental housing, noted that the project would create only five or six affordable units and and added that's not worth "disturbing the woods."

Waltham: City Council adjusts senior housing bid proposals WALTHAM --- A City Council subcommittee recently altered bid specifications for two proposals to lease, renovate and reuse the former Banks and Hardy schools for senior housing. Councilors requested changes in the potential developer requirements, language on the bid specification to ensure that the largest amount of affordable housing possible will be built, as well as a requirement that no additions or extensions be added to the Hardy school. All changes will be added to both requests for proposals by the city's legal department.

Lowell: CBA to convert former school into 22 affordable units LOWELL --- The Coalition for a Better Acre recently announced plans to convert the former site of St. Joseph's High School into 22 affordable-housing units. The $4 million project will consist of one, two and three-bedroom units with renovations slated to begin in the summer of 2009. CBA Project Manager Jeff Fugate stated that they hope to preserve as much of the Merrimack Street building as possible.