Housing Headlines

CHATHAM --- Saying it actively seeking properties, the affordable housing trust is asking that it receive 80 percent of the funds collected through the town's annual Community Preservation Act property tax surcharge. Currently, the fund has $2.5 million and the trust request could add another $1.2 million. Rising second home sales taking year-round homes off the market is the impetus for the request said Alan Mowry, a member of the trust committee.

Looking for a good interpretation of the state's draft guidelines for the state's new zoning requirement for MBTA communities? Boston Indicators has published a thorough report that walks through the basics and explains concepts like "districts of reasonable size" and capacity calculations for communities.

In a new report entitled "Rethinking the Retail trip," the Metropolitan Area Planning Council analyzed more than 3,000 strip malls across Greater Boston. Chock full of interactive maps and charts, MAPC found that many of them are underutilized and if just 10 percent were developed into mixed-use projects, 124,000 homes could be created, increasing building values and bringing over $475 million in additional local tax revenue.

NORTH ADAMS --- The state Department of Housing and Community Development has approved a smart growth zoning district for downtown North Adams, paving the way for more residential and mixed-use development downtown. The district includes two areas — one is around downtown, and the other is in an area between Union and Eagle streets called the “mills subzone.”

The Citizens' Housing and Planning Association voice its support for the state's new multifamily zoning requirement for MBTA communities, saying the recently released guidelines represent a path forward and calling on every community "to seize this moment to design an affordable, inclusive, and sustainable future."

NEWTON --- Village 14 contributor Sean Roche takes a look at what the state's new zoning requirement means for Newton and what areas near the commuter rail and seven Green Line stops make the most sense to zone for multifamily so it adds up to the required 550 acres.