Housing Headlines

TRURO --- Asked for her reaction to claims that having 10 percent of its housing affordable would make Truro a leader on the Cape, MHP's Laura Shufelt said it would be a mistake for the town to think that since less than 25 percent of its supply is considered year-round. Shufelt said 10 percent is an arbitrary number related to achieving safe harbor from Ch. 40B. She said it should not be a substitute for a needs analysis that would show how much housing the town actually needs to house workers, families and people with disabilities.

MIDDLEBOROUGH --- One day after a Boston Globe story detailed the town's crticisms of the state's MBTA multifamily zoning law and its decision not to file a required action plan, the Town of Middleborough issued a press release through a public relations firm clarifying the town's position on MBTA Community Zoning Requirements. "After lengthy and careful deliberation involving all community stakeholders, the Town of Middleborough has respectfully decided to not submit an action plan at this time," the statement said.

BEVERLY --- The developer who has a 99-year lease to build on MBTA land has proposed to construct three stories of housing atop the train station's parking garage on Rantoul Street. Sarah Barnat of Barnat Development said the 70 new apartments would be "a creative and thoughtful way of adding more units around the train station.” Barnat's company previously devoped the 67-unit Holmes building on land in front of the garage. That project was finished in 2019.

IPSWICH --- In urging readers to see the state's new MBTA multifamily zoning law as a golden opportunity to add reasonably priced housing and revitalize downtown, Editor John Muldoon also took a not-so-subtle shot at residents whose tendency is to be against anything that has to do with housing growth. Muldoon wrote, "If you want to cause a giant hullabaloo in this town, all you need to do is threaten to stick a shovel in the ground. Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by NIMBYs and busybodies while a Greek chorus stands off to the side keening about “turning our little town into a city.”

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.