Housing Headlines

HOPKINTON --- Members of the Hopkinton Planning Board say the percentage of affordable housing has dropped dramatically, from 14 percent to 10.9 percent. At a recent planning board meeting Principal Planner John Gelcich said that developers being allowed to make a payment to the town in lieu of providing affordable housing units is one reason. Payments are managed by the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board. Gelcich said the board may explore ways to use the funds to address the drop in affordable housing.

FRAMINGHAM --- Framingham City Council has approved raising the minimum percentage of affordable housing units on future multi-unit housing proposals from 10% to 13%. Last year, Framingham reported that 10.7% of its housing stock was considered affordable, narrowly above the statewide threshold.

HYANNIS --- Barnstable officials have cleared the way for housing development at the Cape Cod Mall, recently approving a request from mall owners, Simon Property Group, to increase building height limits and rezone the property for apartments, hotels and office uses.

WATERTOWN --- Now that the state has allowed for the city to focus its MBTA zoning compliance efforts on Watertown Square, local officials have begun discussing how it will designate at least 24 acres for 1,700 units of multifamily housing. Officials hope to use the new law to spark a wider conversation about the planning process for the square, which is heavily serviced by MBTA buses. As an MBTA "adjacent community," Watertown must comply by Dec. 31, 2024.

MANCHESTER --- Town officials gathered recently to discuss steps needed to comply with the state's new multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA communities, including the possibility of zoning to allow for dozens of apartments on 37 acres adjancent to the town's train station. Town Administrator Greg Federspiel urged the town to use this new law to address its housing challenges. “We have the opportunity to engage the community in a thoughtful conversation,” said Federspiel. “We still need to address our housing issue. It is clear we need to address diversity. I don’t think we want to become a retirement community.”

NANTUCKET --- The state has ruled that the granting of building permits for 48 affordable rental apartments and two affordable homes in 2022 has earned Nantucket a two-year exemption from Ch. 40B, the law that allows developers to override local zoning if the town's supply of affordable housing is below 10 percent. Towns can earn safe harbor if they make significant progress toward reaching 10 percent threshold and Nantucket's recent flurry of permits has pushed its supply of affordable housing to 6.8 percent.