​BRAINTREE, MA — Major train and bus stations in greater Boston could handle up to 253,000 new units of housing, and many stations — especially among transit stops on the South Shore — are woefully under-developed, according to a new study from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership.

The average housing density across all transit stations in the area — a group that includes all subway stops and all MBTA stations — is about 6.5 units per-acre, according to the study. The MBTA stations in Braintree, Weymouth, Quincy, Holbrook and Hingham all fall below that mark. An ideal housing density could be as high as 12 to 26 units per acre — a number only seen in dense areas like Roxbury and the South End, the study said.

The only station in those communities close to the MBTA station average is Wollaston Station in Quincy which averages 6.4 units per-acre. The average housing densities for other area stations are:

• North Quincy - 5.5 units per-acre
• Quincy Center - 4.6 units per-acre
• Weymouth Landing/East Braintree - 4.3 units per-acre
• Quincy Adams - 3.3 units per-acre
• South Weymouth - 2.9 units per-acre
• Braintree - 2.6 units per-acre
• East Weymouth - 2.6 units per-acre
• Holbrook/Randolph - 1.5 units per-acre
• West Hingham - 1.2 units per-acre

The study highlights that low-density areas are "squandered opportunities" to build housing, which is in short supply in the Boston area. The numbers are just estimates, and the authors acknowledge barriers to housing in some neighborhoods, like commercial zoning.

There's also questions at the local level about where residents want this housing, how large should these housing units be and if they match the community's existing neighborhood.

In Braintree, a re-zoning ordinance was withdrawn by Mayor Josesph Sullivan following months of controversy from residents, local officials and candidates for town office.

Opponents of the re-zoning ordinance, including hundreds of protesters, argued it would have allowed for too much overcrowded housing, would exacerbate traffic problems and could have fundamentally changed Braintree's "small town character."

This doesn't mean residents are necessarily opposed to new development and re-zoning. Housing near the train station has been suggested during public hearings throughout the year. But many of the residents, town officials and former candidates for public office, including Mayor-elect Charles Kokoros, said the town's master plan needs to be updated before any type of zoning changes get approved.

The study acknowledged this isn't a simple call to action for communities with less housing to build more because increasing housing density doesn't make sense for every community.

"While this math is incredibly simple and ignores some important neighborhood factors, it does show the potential that re-imagining these high-access neighborhoods could have in terms of better supporting transit while simultaneously making a huge dent in our chronic housing supply problem," the study says. "Of course, every station area is different, and there are places where even greater levels of density make sense, and surely some places where market demand may not support large numbers of additional new units."

See a map of stations and read about the methodology on the Massachusetts Housing Partnership website.

IN PERSON with Banker & Tradesman

Winthrop Sargent Founder and Principal, Winthrop Capital Advisors 
Age: 62 
Industry experience: Over 30 years  

Winthrop Sargent has had many jobs throughout his career. He has worked as the owner of a consumer products company, a senior consultant at an accounting firm and a contract CFO on several occasions, not to mention his involvement with municipalities. The wide array of work experience explains why his company, Winthrop Capital Advisors, offers such a multitude of services, including CFO advisory consulting, growth and turnaround assignments, merger and acquisition advisory services, capital underwriting and debt and equity placements.  

Sargent has also been a member of the South Shore Economic Development Corp. and been working on several developments in the South Shore. One of his current projects is the development of a new, upscale residential real estate community in Mattapoisett called Fieldstone Village, which he describes as “Cape Cod but without the traffic.” The project has 30 house lots and is part of a larger development around the Bay Club in Mattapoisett consisting of 625 acres and nearly 200 homes built so far.  
​

QUINCY — The sprawling lawns, white picket fences and single-family homes that define many of the Boston area’s wealthy bedroom communities will need to make room for more of the multifamily housing popping up in cities like Quincy and Boston if the region is going to get a handle on what many advocates see as a housing crisis, according to a study released this week.

Greater Boston is now considered the fourth-most expensive city for rental housing in the nation, thanks in large part to a shortage of housing that has made affording a two-bedroom apartment virtually impossible for anyone making less than $87,000 a year. A study released this week by the Boston Foundation found that financial pressures of ballooning rents and skyrocketing home values coupled with a lack of housing diversity in many of the region’s cities and town have created segregated communities, exacerbated income inequality and increased homelessness.

The study singles out the state’s approach to zoning, which leaves most of the power in the hands of local governments. Known as “home rule,” this allows communities to dictate what kinds of housing can be built and where, and allows communities to effectively ban anything but the single-family houses that characterize the area’s wealthier suburbs.

South Shore Habitat for Humanity’s homes at Feinberg Bog Road in Duxbury have been recognized as a contributing project to the region’s economic competitiveness. The homes have been endorsed by the South Shore Economic Development Corporation’s Housing Committee, an arm of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. The committee recognizes projects and local initiatives that help make the region more competitive in attracting people and businesses, as part of its larger South Shore 2030: Choosing our Future regional economic and community development plan.

The project in Duxbury is located on Feinberg Bog Road and will consist of six townhomes on 3 acres on the Old Camp Wing property. The project meets the Chamber’s criteria for endorsement as it introduces a smaller square footage product at a lower price point, uses an underutilized parcel of land to the Duxbury community. The developer worked closely with the Town of Duxbury, the Affordable Housing Trust, community members and neighbors to address concerns and to introduce a thoughtful, high quality site design. These townhomes are currently under construction.

WEYMOUTH — Weymouth Landing hit a low point in the early 2000s, when, as Mayor Robert Hedlund recalls, it was best known for its empty storefronts, dilapidated buildings and a homeless encampment.

But with private investment, state money, public transportation and cooperation between Weymouth and Braintree, the Landing is again becoming a bustling, walkable place to live and work. Today, it’s a place that state officials say other communities should look to as they try to write their own redevelopment success stories.

​Members of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the South Shore Development Corp. and local officials on Tuesday joined Polito on a walking tour of Weymouth Landing to discuss an initiative the chamber calls “South Shore 2030” and the progress Weymouth and Braintree have made in encouraging development and attracting new residents to the neighborhood.

BROCKTON — Two of the region’s leading housing nonprofits will merge on July 1, combining financial education and real estate development services in a trio of cities that have come to serve as havens for lower-income homebuyers during Greater Boston’s affordability crisis.

The two nonprofits, NeighborWorks Southern Mass and Housing Solutions for Southeastern Massachusetts, will maintain offices in Brockton, New Bedford and Quincy. A fourth office in Kingston, a coastal town of 13,000 on the South Shore, will also stay open.

Rob Corley will helm the combined organization, NeighborWorks Housing Solutions, as its chief executive officer after the merger.

“The reason we wanted to combine the organizations is because the services were complimentary,” Corley said in a recent interview.

​More photos can be found in our gallery.

Key stakeholders gathered at the beginning of the month to recognize some critical leadership in the next phase of South Shore 2030’s Housing Initiative. The business voice is a critical component to moving the number on our housing goal of 44,000 new units by 2030. It isn’t only about increased housing production, but the right kind of housing in the right locations – some key housing developments and town initiatives were highlighted during the event and can be found on South Shore 2030’s housing page.  
 
Getting to that 44,000 number will take a lot of effort and leadership from community members, local officials from all 25 communities, small business, big business, all industry representatives. This is bigger than just increasing the number of homes on the South Shore – it is about building our communities and supporting the economic vitality of the region.  We have some great leadership here on the South Shore and Rockland Trust’s, Christopher Oddleifson, is leading the charge with a $35,000 contribution to support the project work.
 
Check out some of the media coverage of this announcement from the sources below.

​For more information about the Housing Initiative and/or to get involved in the conversation, contact Courtney Bjorgaard at [email protected] or 781.421.3915.