Housing Headlines

TRURO --- Two neighbors who say they aren't against the Cloverleaf affordable housing development have filed suit to modify or annul it, arguing that the town did not account for traffic and parking impacts and approved the project with an "unproven" septic system.

CHATHAM --- Reacting based on need and a flurry of support from residents, the select board voted recently to support the idea of using 19 acres of town land off Middle Road for affordable housing development. Final decision lies with voters, who will likely be asked to declare the site as surplus property at May town meeting.

BOSTON -- The Baker-Polito Administration recently announced $46 million in funding to support the development ofaffordable apartments across Massachusetts. All told, these funds will fund 12 developments in eight communities, creating 572 new apartments.

BOSTON --- In an op-ed column for the Boston Globe, Father Bill's Mainspring CEO/president John Yazwinski makes a strong case for turning hotels into homeless housing, as his organization is doing in Quincy and Brockton, and as California, Washington are doing more regularly. "This is a relatively quick solution, and one that could be put to scale across Massachusetts," he argues.

Since moving to the Cape, Debby Wells has had to move three times because her apartment was sold. Now facing a fourth sale and another move, Wells represents what's happening in the red-hot Cape Cod real estate market, where the median home sale price has jumped 17 percent in a year and where the number of reasonably-priced year-round rentals are dwindling.

GLLOUCESTER --- A public meeting was held last week to discuss amendments to help the city provide affordable housing. Among the changes the city is considering are lowering the threshold for triggering its inclusionary zoning ordinance from eight to six-unit projects, having different percentage requirements based on project size and adding a payment-in-lieu option for small projects.