Housing Headlines

CONCORD --- The Concord Select Board have voted to send a letter to Junction Village developer Grantham Group LLC indicating its support of an 83-unit assisted living proposal. The letter will also indicate that the town will draft a 2017 Town Meeting amendment asking residents to authorize $1 million from the town's free cash account to support the project. The letter will further stipulate that the board will support the project's application for $1 million in CPA funds, $200,000 from the Concord Housing Foundation and $200,000 in federal money from the regional HOME Consortium.

WILLIAMSTOWN --- Determination by the development team, support from town officials and $1.5 million in Community Preservation Act funds were the key ingredients in making the renovation of Cable Millis into 61 apartments a reality, speakers said during a grand opening held on May 25.

FRAMINGHAM --- With last fall's downtown zoning changes in place, the town recently put together a tour for about 20 local real estate developers and showed them 20 underutilized parcels that could be transformed into mixed-use developments near the commuter rail.

BOSTON --- In his Sunday column, Globe Columnist Dante Ramos uses a 110-condo unit proposal on the Whiskey Priest property at 150 Seaport Boulevard to illustrate Boston's continuing reliance on a parcel-by-parcel approach where exceptions to existing zoning are the rule, and where the more predictable zoning that Mayor Walsh wants is still years away.

BURLINGTON --- The selectmen have voted unanimously to support a "friendly 40B" application by The Davis Companies, who have proposed to build no more than 271 multifamily units in the Center at Corporate Drive on Cambridge St. At the moment, approximately 10 percent of Burlington's housing is considered affordable and the addition of the Davis Companies' units would keep the town over 10 percent and give it greater control over future 40Bs for years to come.

CHARLESTOWN --- State Rep. Dan Ryan says he's still educating himself on whether adopting the Community Preservation Act is a good idea, saying he isn't convinced that voters are going to vote for something that means more taxes and that many of the activities CPA traditionally funds won't occur in his Charlestown district.