Housing Headlines

CHARLESTOWN --- The Archdiocese of Boston and its partner St. Francis House have notified the Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) about their plan to convert the shuttered Charlestown Hotel into affordable housing. The development will feature 100 affordable rental units, including some for formerly homeless people. The proposal is heading to a formal community process led by BPDA.

SALEM --- Renovations are wrapping up at Salem Heights, a 281-unit affordable housing complex off Pope Street. Updates include centralized heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, expansion of public areas, duct work, side-mounted solar arrays and free internet access throughout each unit.

CAMBRIDGE --- Cambridge City Council is set to vote on a controversial zoning petition that would increase maximum height restrictions for buildings with 100 percent affordable housing. If approved developments as high as 15 stories would be allowed in some parts of the city. Cambridge’s affordable housing waitlist currently has more than 22,000 applicants, with nearly 4,500 living in Cambridge. Council will vote on the matter in the fall.

ARLINGTON --- Deliberations by the Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals are set to begin September 5 on an affordable housing development proposed by the Housing Corporation of Arlington. The 43-units are proposed at 10 Sunnyside Avenue with a possible occupancy of 2026. A decision is expected to be made by the ZBA by September 24. During an August public hearing, residents expressed concerns about parking, safety, traffic flow and size of the development.

BROCKTON --- MassHousing has provided $12.9 million in financing for Bixby Brockton Apartments, a 106-unit affordable seniors housing complex. Affordable Housing & Services Collaborative Inc., will use the proceeds to fund capital improvements and extend the property’s affordability status.

STATE --- When it comes to increasing housing stock, Massachusetts lags behind 40 other states. Construction Coverage, a website that provides research and reviews related to the construction and real estate industries, ranked all 50 states and more than 300 metro areas based on the number of new housing units authorized per 1,000 existing homes in 2022. Among large metro areas, the Greater Boston region built the 13th fewest homes relative to the number of existing homes in 2022, the report said. But the capital region’s authorization rate of 7.1 new units per 1,000 existing units outpaced the statewide rate last year.