The Massachusetts Housing Appeals Committee determined late last month that Stoneham has failed to meet the state’s minimum threshold for affordable housing. The ruling means that developer John M. Corcoran & Co. retains the right to appeal any decision by the town regarding its application to build a 264-unit apartment complex at Weiss Farm under Chapter 40B, the state’s affordable housing law. Corcoran plans to set aside 25 percent of the units for tenants of low to moderate means in accordance with the state’s affordable housing regulations. The town’s Board of Appeals last summer asserted that Stoneham’s inventory of affordable housing met Chapter 40B’s threshold by having at least 1.5 percent of Stoneham’s developable land devoted to affordable housing. The developer contested the board’s decision, and after reviewing the arguments, state housing officials in September rejected the town’s affordability claim. The town appealed that finding, prompting the latest ruling, which found that the town’s land area calculations were flawed.
Brenda J. Buote can be reached at brenda.buote@gmail.com.
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