Housing Headlines

TAUNTON --- The Neighborhood Corporation - a local nonprofit formerly called Weir Corp. - continued its revitalization of the Weir Village industrial area as it has completed work on turning an old contaminated paint factory site into a duplex with two affordable three-bedroom apartments for families. The effort was spearheaded by TNC board chair Larry Silvia and Joseph Pacheco, who has become an unpaid acting director while also running Pro Home, another local nonprofit.

WORCESTER --- The Worcester housing market is recovering gradually from its 2011 low but the median price of a home in 2015 is still $55,000 less than it was in 2005, according to the Warren Group.

ROXBURY --- The redevelopment of the former Bartlett Yard MBTA site into a mixed-use development with 60 housing units and retail space has hit a snag, with the city-appointed Project Review Committee questioning whether letting a charter school lease the commercial space can be defined as economic development.

WALTHAM --- The effort to use $2.1 million in Community Preservation Act funds to create a rental assistance funds for lower-income residents cleared another hurdle recently when the city council voted 11-3 to override Mayor Jeannette McCarthy's veto. The mayor can still stop the plan by refusing to sign an agreement between the city and the housing authority that would have the housing authority administer the funds. The mayor's main issue is that people on the housing authority's waiting list, while eligible for assistance, will not receive preference.

EASTHAM --- After some opponents voiced concerns over what types of people would be moving into a proposed 115-unit affordable housing complex, Cape Cod Times reporter K.C. Myers followed up with short profiles of six people who live in affordable housing on the Outer Cape.

EASTHAM --- Stratford Capital Group's bid to turn a former Rt. 6 driving range into 115 units of housing took a major hit this week as the Eastham Affordable Housing Trust decided not to fund the developer's request for $800,000 in local funds raised through the town's Community Preservation Act.