Housing Headlines

BEVERLY --- A special hearing was held recently to gauge resident reaction to a city councilor's proposal that any new builing projects be limited to three stories so as to limit the "pace and scale" of development. City Councilor Matt St. Hillaire said measure came about after a proposal this summer to turn the former Family Dollar Store on Cabot St. into a five-story building. Some residents who spoke shared growth concerns while others worried the limit would exacerbate the city's housing shortage and slow the rebirth the downtown has seen due to housing development on Rantoul St. near the train station.

CAMBRIDGE --- In what may be a first for Massachusetts, the Cambridge City Council has voted to end requiring parking space minimums, a move that will free up developers from zoning that demanded a certain number of parking spaces. Not having to include parking in a project could mean more space to build housing or lower costs to rent or own if parking's not included, officials say. Somerville enacted a more limited law in 2019 that ended requirements for off-street parking.

BOSTON --- With strong financial support from local groups, the non-profit East Boston Community Development Corp. has pulled off what it thought might be impossible, purchasing 36 small apartment buildings for $47 million and financing it so all 114 apartments will have affordable rents "“It’s difficult to express what this means for our community," said East Boston CDC Executive Director Al Caldarelli. "We are reclaiming some of the housing that has been snatched up by private investors. We are reclaiming space for our families to live.”

NAHANT --- The deadline has passed for tenants of what is known as “Coast Guard” housing to vacate. Tenants of the property on Castle Road and Goddard Drive got eviction notices in September 2021 and were given a year to find another place to live. The town plans to sell the property to pay off the loan for the purchase.

WINCHESTER --- Planner Brian Szekely recently led a discussion with town officials about the state's new multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA communities. The discussion focused on compliance deadlines and how creating a zoning district of 15 units per acre might impact neighborhoods around Winchester's two train stations. “This legislation is all about the housing shortage,” Szekely said, adding the Boston area added jobs but not housing.

NEWTON -- A developer plans to build a six-story, 244-unit apartment building with a mix of one- two- and three-bedroom affordable rentals on Route 9. Toll Brothers recently submitted an application to MassHousing under Chapter 40B to build the project. The 5.82-acre site at 528 Boylston St. is made up of multiple parcels with different uses.