Housing Headlines

HYANNIS --- A plan to turn a 40-acre Hyannis golf course into over 300 rental homes has stirred an intense local debate, with neighbors questioning its enviromental impact and some environmentalists saying that multifamily is better than single-family sprawl and golf courses that use chemicals to maintain their grounds.

WORCESTER --- The city's housing authority has published a request for proposals from developers to rebuild the Lakeside public housing development. The RFP is seeking bids on a project that would replace the 202 existing units with 250 units, add more units for households between 60 and 80 percent of median income and possibly add market rate units as well.

SPRINGFIELD --- Thanks to early financing from the state, Friends of the Homeless are moving forward on its plans to redevelop the former 5th Alarm exoctic dance nighclub into 36 supportive apartments for the formerly homeless. The $17 million dollar project has received $400,000 in pre-development funding from the Community Economic Development Assistance Corp. "“With this funding, it’s more likely other agencies where we have applied for funding will look favorably on our application,” said William Miller, vice president of housing and homeless services for Clinical & Support Options, the parent company of Friends of the Homeless.

BOSTON --- In an effort to draw interest in the redevelopment of city-owned lots, the City of Boston held an open house on Sat. Nov. 19 to gather community input and ideas to inform how 70 city-owned lots can be redeveloped. Most of these lots are north and south of Talbot Ave and are part of a city effort to use federal recovery funds to redevelop 150 city-owned parcels.

WORCESTER --- The city moved once step closer to adopting an inclusionary zoning law as the planning board voted unanimously that the city council adopt the measure. The draft ordinance would require developments with a net production of 12 or more units to reserve 15 percent of their habitable square footage for renters/buyers who earn 80 percent of the area median income for the city or 10 percent for those who earn 60 percent AMI.

ROCHESTER --- At a recent meeting of town departments, local officials said they believe that a Ch. 40R district at the corners of Routes 28 and 58 will meet the state's new multifamily zoning law for MBTA communities.