Housing Headlines

BRAINTREE --- The town has selected WinnDevelopment and Arch Communities to redevelop the former Braintree Electric Light Dept. into a $15.4M development that will include 44 mixed-income apartments, 54,000 square feet of open space and a walkway along the Monatiquot River. The developers have agreed to pay the town $1.5 million for the property, which has been vacant for a quarter century.

BOSTON --- In one of his final acts, Mayor Martin J. Walsh recommended investing $3 million to support the acquisition of YW Boston by Beacon Communities and the Pine Street Inn. The funds will support the acquisition and redevelopment of the iconic Back Bay Building from 118 apartments and a hotel into 210 affordable rental units, with 111 prioritized for the homeless.

WHATELY --- With small, detached "in-law" homes completed or nearly done in Easthampton, Whately and Florence, Backyard ADUs has been recognized with a Small Home Hero Award by the Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity. The annual award is part of Habitat PV's push to encourage the building of simple, durable, affordable homes in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

GLOUCESTER --- After receiving favorable reviews in a public hearing, the Planning Board will recommend that the City Council adopt a series of changes to strengthen the city's inclusionary zoning law, including lowering the threshold from eight to six units, and requiring that projects of 10 units or greater make15 percent of the units affordable. Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken praised the Planning Board. “We are mixed use and mixed heritage, but we are also mixed income,” she said. “What you are doing is the first step of giving hope.”

NORTH ANDOVER --- The longtime owner of the Royal Crest Estates is talking with Boston-based development Trinity Financial about replacing the 50-year-old, 76-acre 588-apartment and student housing complex with a mixed-use residential complex that would include a hotel, office space, retail, Merrimack College dormitories and 993 apartments, 90 of which would be affordable.

HARWICH --- Despite protests from neighbors about increased parking, the town's planning board voted 6-1 to OK the conversion of the former 31-unit Royal of Harwich assisted living facility into 26 apartments. The proposal is permissible due to a town meeting vote last year to change multifamily zoning to encourage apartments. The new regulations lower the acreage requirement and bases the number of units on septic capacity and parking requirements.