The Misinformation Campaign Continues
- mcc021557
- Jun 17
- 5 min read
WEDNESDAY June 18th at 6:30PM The Community Development Board will be meeting on the Neighborhood Zoning. This meeting will be hybrid so both in person at council chambers and on Zoom
It's the full court press coming from all directions, in this blog we are going to touch upon the latest bad actor in the Medford Re-zoning Saga- Anna Callahan
Anna is currently conducting her outreach campaign claiming many amazing things this ill-conceived zoning will purportedly do - like how much it's going to "help us reach our affordable housing and climate goals".
This is fiction. The new zoning will not help with affordability at all, not one iota - the zoning "crafted" will result in projects well below the required affordability thresholds. To trip the actual affordable requirement, a project needs to build 10 units. This zoning in many areas will allow for 3 UNITS and 2 ADUS (4 Total by right and 1 by permit), and that is what will be built, and all will be high price tag "luxury" units- zero affordable.
In short, the way the zoning is currently structured it encourages predatory developers to enter our market and displace reasonably affordability housed residents. A net negative proposition. Good for the affluent, bad for the marginalized.
Speaking of the marginalized - our Environmental Justice Neighborhoods (EJNs) within our city will experience incredible development pressure, and at a level of density will create vast heat islands - where none currently exists.
This effort sacrifices quality of life for EJNs the marginalized and at risk while seeking to protect the most affluent neighborhoods- where coincidentally many of the council, administration, staff, boards and commission members reside.
"...the new zoning is much better for the environment and for trees than existing zoning." Anna claims. "It establishes a new 20% open space minimum, a new limit on impermeable surfaces, and a Green Score program to incentivize keeping and planting trees on all larger developments."
It is true that lot coverage requirements are generally going up, however, current zoning has the lot coverage value static, whereas the new zoning will allow for that coverage requirement to be waived "for housing". And what about the trees you ask- there is nothing in the zoning to protect the trees- that would be addressed under a tree ordinance- which we have been talking about for years but still haven't codified. "Developers" have no constraints on clearcutting and removal of any flora or fauna on their parcels, and no requirements to replace the trees that they remove. This city has lost so many irreplaceable trees, 400-year old silver maples, copper birch, willow, on and on - all for developer profit.
"...this zoning explicitly advances the city’s 2023 Comprehensive Plan, Housing Production Plan, and Climate and Open Space Plan" she touts.
Here Anna shows her abject lack of expertise. The documents she is referring to are the most basic of documents used in urban planning, and are meant to be followed up with the appropriate studies, financial modeling, community engagement AND BUY IN. They are not, nor would any industry professional worth their salt take them as the be all end all of planning a city's future state. I was a member of the Housing Production Plan workgroup (not committee - that would have required open meetings), the work was completed during the height of COVID - so very focused engagement. I can tell you I expected that document to be a step in the process, not a cornerstone of it.
"...it looks like there will be intense pressure on the CDB to delay this until fall. So if you can make it to speak out in favor, it would be really, REALLY helpful." she says.
Councilor Callahan, you are changing the very fabric of our community- especially the environmental justice areas which you have put under incredible pressure to save the affluent sections of the city from ANY density. Pardon us if we want the city to take the appropriate measures and not just hold meetings to check off the boxes. Sorry us poor folk are in the way of where the affluent have decided that they want to be. There is a term for that.
Councilor Callahan wraps up in saying that "The city’s zoning efforts recently received significant praise from the Mass Municipal Association as one of the most transparent and well communicated zoning reforms they have ever seen."
Who's MMA? Here's the link, I see no expertise in zoning reform nor urban planning. Have a look for yourself.
This proposed zoning does nothing at all to map out a vision for our city. It prioritizes developer profit over resident's needs. It looks to create housing for those that want to live here at the expense of those that already do. There are no guardrails to protect the most at risk and marginalized here now in our communities and mitigate their displacement - an action called for in many of the "plans" the Councilor references in her messaging.
The sad fact is that this effort does nothing but exacerbates the chasm that exists across the neighborhoods of our community.
The desired goals of climate resilience and affordable housing will never be realized with this ineffective and poorly done work product.
Furthermore, much of what is "imagined"- and I say imagined because the stakeholders have stopped publishing the actual language and are now voting on images and slides regardless of the fact that MGL 40A Section 5 requires the actual text of the ordinance(s)- much of what is imagined is not feasibly constructed with the outlined setbacks and other criteria. Certain stakeholders claim that this means that there will be no rush to construction. One only needs to tour the Glenwood neighborhood to see how wrong they are.
Familiar developers are door knocking looking to leverage their opportunities and the mass exodus that will soon follow as the EJN residents are gentrified out.
Lastly, stakeholders have been advised by resident professionals that studies, modeling, an urban master plan and many other items are needed to effectively and responsibly complete this effort. They stand firm and refuse to conduct the necessary studies to properly address and correct the issues brought to their attention. They refused to complete the necessary effort to determine the impact of these "updates" to our aging utilities, infrastructure, and quality of life - amongst other issues. All of which will leave this city, its neighborhoods, and all of the residents financially exposed, to bankroll developer profit.
So, yes, please do call in or go to city hall and participate.
Speak up in favor of solid zoning that will provide the best future version of Medford we can have - one that is based on factual data, actual studies and thoughtfully crafted zoning language.
Not this steaming pile of garbage.
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