Housing Headlines

HINGHAM --- Rather than continue to pursue a Ch. 40B permit so it can build 177 apartments in South Hingham, AvalonBay has reached a tentative agreement to sell the land to the town. The tentative agreement, which is subject to town meeting approval, is for the town to purchase approximately 18 acres for $3.7 million in order to build a wastewater treatment facility that will include a buffer from surrounding commercial operations for neighboring residential properties.

HINGHAM --- A Brighton-based developer has applied for a Ch. 40B comprehensive permit to build 20 homeownership units on 13 acres of land on Main St. between Constitution and Highfield roads, across from the House of Prayer Lutheran Church. The proposal comes one week after developer AvalonBay had agreed to allow the sale of an 18-acre parcel in South Hingham to the town instead of pursuing a controversial 177-unit housing project there. The town plans to build a water treatment plant on the site.

CHELMSFORD --- By a 3-1 vote, selectman OK'd a proposal in which the town would move to buy land on Littleton Road and then have the housing authority develop it into 115 units of affordable rental housing. The proposal now needs the approval of town meeting.

PLYMOUTH --- The town's housing authority director continues to spar with Simon Properties over resident incomes at Pontus Meadows and how many residents will experience much higher rents on May 1 when the owners raise rents after pre-paying their 40-year federal mortgage, which allows them to convert the affordable housing development into market-rate housing.

WEYMOUTH - The Weymouth Housing Authority could take over administrative oversight of its counterpart in Hull under a proposal being considered by the Weymouth public housing board of commissioners. The Hull authority, which has been managed by consultants after a state audit led to the firing of its executive director in 2006, picked Weymouth after soliciting interest from other towns. Weymouth manages 475 public housing apartments while Hull has 68.

CHELSEA --- A local family's legal battle to negotiate a more modest rent increase from its new landlord is an example of recent clashes between existing apartment dwellers and Boston-area real estate investors who are buying foreclosed properties and raising rents to cover acquisition and/or repair costs.