Housing Headlines

SOMERVILLE --- A proposed two-building, five-story housing development on Washington Street in Union Square cannot go forward until developers better respond to neighbors' concerns, the Somerville Planning Board decided on Thursday, July 11. Approximately 50 people attended to hear discussion on Somerville Community Corporation's plans to turn the former Boys & Girls Club into 40 affordable rental units and Cathartes Private Investments' plans to build 39 market-rate units and five affordable units where the Cota Funeral Home is now. The board, which appeared split between respecting abutters' wishes and honoring new zoning that allows five-story buildings, decided to continue its discussion at its next meeting on July 18.

MILTON --- Led by state Sen. Brian Joyce, the town is girding to fight Mill Creek Residential's plans to seek a Ch. 40B permit to build 276 apartments across the street from the 300-unit Fuller Village senior housing community. Recently, Fuller Village has retained a lawyer to represent its interests while neighboring Canton has also weighed in with similar concerns about traffic and the environment, given that a small portion of the project would be built within its borders.

CANTON --- Too much rental housing and traffic near downtown were among the reasons why selectmen have decided not to support a developer's proposal to clean up the contaminated former Plymouth Rubber Company site and replace it with 204 rental apartment units, 64 townhouse condos and 80 age-restricted units.

DEVENS --- MassDevelopment announced earlier this month that five development companies have expressed interest in bidding to develop 120 new housing units on 70 acres at Devens, the former military site off Rt. 2 near Ayer.

SOUTH BOSTON --- The second phase of the Old Colony housing development is on schedule with an estimated completion date of winter 2014. The newly constructed second phase will consist of townhouses and four-story buildings that will hold the 169 new units. The project, which is broken up into three phases, will eventually remake the 16.7-acre affordable housing complex. First constructed in 1940, the entire parcel at one time contained 873 units in 22 three-story brick buildings.

NEWTON --- Residents packed the Village of Waban's library recently to voice their concerns over a propoals to turn a small fire station at the end of Beacon St. near the entrance to Rt. 128 into nine homes for the chronically homeless. The MetroWest Collaborative Development and Pine Street Inn have submitted a joint proposal to the city to spend $3 million to purchase and refurbish the 96-year-old former fire station. The plan would create 10 housing units, nine of which would be permanent studio apartments for men and women who live on the street or in emergency shelters and make less than $19,850 annually.