29,403 past 30 days @ 12:26 pm
29,
More Locust Street Housing … Not a good fit.
This past Tuesday, May 31st, I attended the Board of Appeals hearing regarding the proposed, 490 housing units at the former Shaw’s Supermarket. With a capacity crowded room of neighbors objecting and with only one in favor from a North Medford resident, the meeting was insightful as to all parties concerned.
With a minimum of 11 zoning variances needed, the proposing developer presented their multimillion dollar plan as to why all the variances at issue should be granted.
With a minimum of 11 zoning variances needed, the proposing developer presented their multimillion dollar plan as to why all the variances at issue should be granted.
But unexpectedly to the developer, the neighborhood folks who spoke were articulate, prepared and even somewhat conciliatory, if need be, to reducing the size of the project.
Our City’s zoning under Sec. 94-1 clearly defines its purpose to lessen the danger of congestion and confusion. Under the City’s Site Plan Review for which this proposal falls under Sec. 94-331, it states that site plan review is to promote development which is harmonious with surrounding areas and provide adequate consideration of abutting land owners.
The unprecedented amount of traffic that Kohls, the new Wegmans Supermarket, Marshalls, the new 150 Luminere Housing project, the 7,000 square feet of commercial retail space as part of the 490 housing unit proposal, the two rental housing buildings and the other commercial businesses on Locust Street along with the 200 new units of housing opposite the MBTA Wellington Train Station will make Riverside Avenue, Harvard Street and the Mystic Valley Parkway congested beyond any common sense decision to approve the magnitude of this proposal.
When the developer said that area traffic will grow each year independent of this project, they readily acknowledged that their development would add to this massive traffic and pollution overcast upon our Locust Street neighborhood.
As I have advocated in the past, development without a planned program as to why and where serves no benefit to our city. Unmanaged development becomes a burden upon any neighborhood it is proposed for. That is why I believed a moratorium on our City’s future residential and commercial developable areas is desperately needed now.
Trying to sweeten the plan by saying that 49 units will be for affordable housing cannot persuade the fact that 441 remaining units will be at market price when in fact vehicular traffic will be judged on all 490 units.
This is a further example as to why the environmental impact along with the traffic impact has no comparison to a common sense moratorium of our City’s building wants and needs.
As I said at the May 31st meeting to the Board of Appeals members, last month the Board rejected a proposed 40 unit four story development on Canal Street West Medford. Why then should a 490 residential unit proposal on an already traffic impacted Locust Street be any different when comparing the concerns of the Locust Street area residents as were the area resident concerns of the Canal Street proposal.
Comparing the 40 housing units of the West Medford proposal to the 490 housing units in the Wellington area has the same common denominator … that being the area neighborhood and its legitimate concerns.
Regarding the Locust Street proposal, Mayor Burke was quoted in the April 27th edition of the Medford Transcript as saying “ I think this is a fabulous opportunity to create a neighborhood in that part of the city” and she further stated regarding the development “we’re excited”.
The Burke Administration needs to wake up and smell the coffee before allowing our City’s Community Development to move forward, especially without any input from the City Council and an open city council public forum before that body, on any plan of this magnitude.
Some years ago we were told that the Station Landing development would be a great tax benefit for our City and taxes would either remain stable or be reduced. Well, we all know that never became the case.
No amount of taxes to be generated and construction linkage fees collected can ever be compared to a neighborhood disruption, an adverse environmental impact and a quality of life deterioration … the very essence of our zoning and site plan review guidelines.
No amount of taxes to be generated and construction linkage fees collected can ever be compared to a neighborhood disruption, an adverse environmental impact and a quality of life deterioration … the very essence of our zoning and site plan review guidelines.
Respectfully written,
Robert M. Penta
Robert M. Penta
Former member of the Medford City Council
