Hanson Select Board reverses course, moves to buy $270,000 affordable housing condo

HANSON -- June 23, 2026, Hanson Select Board reversed its prior vote and moved unanimously Tuesday to pursue acquisition of a $270,000 affordable housing condominium at 902 Main Street, Unit 35, after a presentation by James Marathis, Executive Director of the Quincy Housing Authority, which manages the Hanson Housing Authority through an interstate management agreement. Marathis outlined how the newly formed Hanson Housing Authority Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit already established under the housing authority, could purchase the unit using Community Preservation Committee funds and sustain it indefinitely as a rental through a project-based Section 8 voucher, the town's last available voucher. Hanson's affordable housing stock sits at approximately 5.05 percent, well below the 10 percent threshold that exposes towns to Chapter 40B applications. The board also learned it must hold a special meeting June 30 to execute a covenant release on the L.D. Thomas federal housing property before HUD will authorize the Development Corporation's no-cost acquisition of that parcel. Separately, Town Administrator Lisa Green warned that roughly $85,000 to $90,000 of a $170,000 state earmark for rehabilitation of Plymouth County Hospital and Barney House landmarks expires June 30, and board members pressed staff to identify Camp Kiwanee and Nathaniel Thomas Mill expenditures that could qualify for last-minute reimbursement.