Housing Headlines

NEW BEDFORD --- Thirty three years after she opened her first shelter to help the homeless, Sister Rosellen Gallogly was on hand for the dedication of the Sister Rose House, a 25-bed men's shelter in a former church in the city's South End neighborhood. The shelter, which will include a job training center, a commercial grade kitchen, a community garden and private beds, is expected to open mid-March.

BOSTON --- In announcing that a piece of state-owned land at the southern entrance to downtown Boston is going on the market, Gov. Charlie Baker took the opportunity to say that far too much of the state's land is sitting vacant and he pledged to make hundreds of state-owned properties easier to acquire and build on.

BOSTON --- Two Boston City Council members are filing a measure that would put a 1 percent property tax surcharge before the voters in November. If the measure makes the ballot and is passed, Boston would be adopting the Community Preservation Act, which allows community to use funds raised from the surcharge for affordable housing, open space and historic preservation.

GLOUCESTER --- Developer Craig Miller, who bought the former Ocean View Inn in Gloucester for $5.17 million, has indicated he may pursue a Ch. 40B permit so he may redevelop buildings and land on the property into a single-family home, condos and duplexes totaling 29 units. Nearby residents are said to prefer a residential development over another commercial business at the site.

FRAMINGHAM --- Seth and Christine Terramane's efforts to downsize from their Waltham apartment and build a 200-square foot home behind a Framingham church is the latest example of a building interest in the so-called "tiny house" movement that has been popularized on cable stations like HGTV. The Terramanes say there is so much interest that they are starting a local chapter of the Greater Boston Tiny Housing Enthusiasts and the town of Natick has also formed a Tiny House Study Committee.

WINCHESTER --- In preparing to decide whether to support a developer's bid to seek a Ch. 40B permit to build 96 units on 2.69 acres, selectmen discussed the matter at a public meeting recently in which residents voiced concerns about the building's proposed height (four stories), traffic, lack of sidewalks and the number of units on such a small site.