Housing Headlines

WORCESTER --- The announcement of new developments in Worcester seems like an almost weekly occurrence. It’s been a wild ride for development proposals in the city. One highly visible example of the fits and starts in new developments are those planned around the $160-million Polar Park baseball stadium. Those projects have had delays, with the first one of the buildings expected to open next year and the last phase not expected until 2025 or later.

PELHAM --- There was a first in Gov. Baker's announcement of funding for affordable housing development last week as it was announced that the small town of Pelham (population 1,322) will receive federal and state tax credits and other funds for the development of 34 affordable apartments. To be developed by Springfield-based Home City Development, the project - known as Amethyst Brook Apartments - will consist of two buildings that will be constructed on eight acres of land one mile east of the Amherst town line.

SOUTHAMPTON --- Voters at Special Town Meeting on Tue., Dec. 13 will decide whether to adopt an affordable housing trust. The push for this came from the town's housing authority, which has advocated that a trust would help the town use local funds to increase its supply of affordable housing. MHP has been working with the housing authority board to build understanding within the community about the benefits of having a trust.

MONTAGUE --- The town of Montague plans to issue a request for proposals within a few weeks for what would be the first deed-restricted affordable housing developed in Montague in more than a decade. The 0.65-acre lot is on First Street in the village of Turners Falls. Six detached single-family dwellings with a strip of parking at the rear or 12 townhouse-style units with similar parking are under consideration.

BEVERLY --- The city held its second public meeting on how to control downtown development on Dec. 5, discussing an ordinance change that would eliminate the downtown's "tall building" overlay district entirely and also reduce height limits on Cabot and Rantoul streets, the downtown's major thoroughfares and the epicenter of recent multifamily development near the train station. In addition, policy makers discussed increasing affordable housing requirements.

GREAT BARRINGTON --- The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire is under contract to buy a Main Street building to preserve low rents for the eight apartments upstairs. To buy the building - known as Marble Block - the CDC must raise $1 million by the end of the year. The CDCSB plans to fundraise and will ask the town’s affordable housing trust to devote $100,000 to the purchase. The nonprofit hopes to maintain preference for local rather than out-of-area tenants in future, but that will depend on conditions attached to state funding.