Housing Headlines

SOMERVILLE --- The city and the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust Fund are each committing $1.8M to fund the first five years of the city’s municipal voucher program, a deeply affordable long-term housing subsidy with priority for families excluded from federal housing programs, including immigrant families. Additional initial funding is being provided through federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Currently, the Office of Housing Stability works to assist residents in accessing a range of federal and state housing supports and programs. But some vulnerable families are unable to access affordable housing or obtain long-term rental assistance either because they are ineligible for federal programs or don't meet emergency criteria.

MARLBOROUGH --- The city has received a $42,000 state grant to help it comply with the state's new multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA communities. Marlborough, which is classified as an "adjacent" community due to its proximity to the Southborough commuter rail stop, will use the funds to explore the feasibility of adopting zoning that would allow multifamily housing near Rt. 495, Simarano Drive and Cedar Hill Street. Marlborough has 17,547 housing units as of 2020 and will need to zone for at least 1,755 additional multifamily units to comply with the law.

BOSTON --- The fate of low-income residents in a 147-unit Jamaica Plain apartment building continues to hang in the balance as owners and public officials try to find a refinancing solution so that approximately 85 apartments can continue to be rented to low-income households. The property - known as the Forbes Building - was built through the state's 13A program, which was created in the 1970s. Since then, many of these properties have either been refinanced or been converted to market-rate, once the affordable use restrictions have expired. The Forbes Building has been seeking a solution since 2016.

YARMOUTH --- Town officials are discussing how to amend or create a more effective accessory department bylaw that addresses a variety of community concerns ranging from making the law easier for residents to use while addressing some concerns that additional units will eventually be used for short-term rentals.

SALEM --- Two changes aimed at making the city's new accessory bylaw more effective faced criticism during a recent joint public meeting of the City Council and Planning Board. Residents who spoke said Mayor Kim Driscoll's proposal to eliminate the owner-occupied requirement and to allow the construction of stand-alone accessory units would favor developers and goes against the law's original intent to give senior homeowners a way to gain income from their "empty-nest" properties.

Policy and planning expert Amy Dain says the state's new MBTA multifamily zoning requirement will test whether communities will be willing to build new multifamily housing in existing neighborhoods or continue their history of locating it in isolated areas on municipal and metropolitan peripheries.