Housing Headlines

NEWBURYPORT --- City Council has voted to transfer $230,000 in Community Preservation Act funding to the Affordable Housing Trust, a noteworthy move because Newburyport is obligated to spend 10 percent of its CPA funding on affordable housing. While $30,000 would be used to update the city's housing production plan, $200,000 would be put in reserve for future development.

JAMAICA PLAIN --- The nonprofit, Hyde Square Task Force, current owner of Blessed Sacrament Church, has a tentative deal with developer Pennrose to convert the church into mixed-income housing and a community space. Supporters anticipate the project chipping away at Boston's housing crisis and lifting up the neighborhood’s burgeoning Afro-Latino arts scene. Blessed Sacrament has stood empty for years.

FALMOUTH--During a strategic planning workshop, Falmouth Select Board Vice-Chair Onjalé Scott Price said the town must undergo radical changes because of the "dire" need for affordable housing. She suggests a possible Air B&B moratorium and tax benefits to property-owners who rent long-term.

BOSTON--September 1, the day when 60 to 80 percent of city leases turn over, is a logistical nightmare for residents and making things more complicated is the historic shutdown of the Orange Line and a section of the Green Line, along with surging rent and tight inventory.

DORCHESTER--Pine Street Inn is partnering with The Community Builders Inc. to convert the Comfort Inn hotel in Dorchester into a permanent, supportive residence for formerly homeless people. The two organizations will host a virtual community meeting and question-and-answer session at 6 p.m. Monday, August 29, to talk through project goals and hear from residents.

High prices and a shortage of quality listings are driving homebuyers to purchase properties in their hometowns. A new study from the US Census Bureau and Harvard University finds that nearly 6 in 10 young adults (those born between 1984 and 1992) live within 10 miles of where they grew up, and 8 in 10 live within 100 miles. Many find the prices more reasonable and lot size and home square footage meets their needs.