The following has been taken from the mayor’s facebook page –
Snredoospta7214ha6m897u4c04u42g4cl68a10m1l97632t5gt50a0h667h ·
I appreciate the willingness to work collaboratively. I’ve outlined many topics I’d like to discuss especially, but not limited to, the City Council accepting the last recommendation from the Community Development Board on Salem Street.
I hope to meet with President Bears and come to an understanding on the best path forward for everyone in Medford.
Please read my response below and watch my video outlining my thoughts on the rezoning efforts.
As we move deeper into the zoning process, I appreciate the proposal from Council President Bears and his willingness to work collaboratively on this deeply complicated and divisive issue. I’m thankful that my multiple emails, where I tried to engage, to the Council leadership on May 22, June 16 and July 15, as well as my letters to the Community Development Board on January 22 and June 17, 2025 urging a slowdown were finally considered.
I agree, we owe it to the community to be as transparent as possible and find common ground through a shared path that benefits our City’s future. We must work together to help with the housing affordability crisis and add additional affordable options for our residents, while also maintaining the character of our neighborhoods and our City as a whole. Within five developments alone we are adding almost 1,300 units, with approximately 25 percent being affordable.
My request back is that I be part of that shared path. A new timeline has been outlined, yet no one asked for my opinion on it before it was developed. We cannot do this work in silos. It simply will fail if we are not collaborating on our priorities.
At this time, I am not prepared to agree to all of the asks that were made as I have no guarantees or commitments that this new slowed approach will be adhered to. I suggest a sit-down meeting with President Bears before I make any firm commitments.
As we all know, priorities can change, and I am deeply worried that our residents will once again be the ones who are left searching for answers if firm commitments are not reached. The solutions offered need a clear shared strategy. The call for $150,000 to extend the Innes Associates contract and $50,000 for communications lacks clarity around a cohesive plan and attempts to solve a public outreach and education problem by simply leveraging additional taxpayer dollars. This needs to be discussed as I do agree with spending additional funds on communication such as mailings to all residents, tax bill inserts, etc. It’s important to note that the City has already paid Innes over $200,000 for their work on zoning, spending $80,000 in FY24, $121,855 in FY25 and $7,500 so far in FY26. The city has also spent $54,000 on legal support for this work from Blatman, Bobrowski, Haverty & Silverstein.
The Innes contract has been fully expended and in order for more spending an extension must be signed. The terms of the extension of our contract with Innes needs to be more thoughtfully reviewed to ensure that it clearly meets the needs of our community and offers ample opportunity for public input and feedback. I look forward to a meeting with council leadership to figure out a shared path forward before I will agree to sign any extension with Innes.
From the beginning, this has been a City Council endeavor assisted by Innes Associates, with our Planning, Development and Sustainability Office offering support. I have come to realize that with a project this large and this transformative, it was a mistake to leave much of the planning and communication to others. I trusted too much and for that I take responsibility.
Once I became aware that the rezoning was too drastic and not in line with the Comprehensive plan, my concerns about the speed, the coupling of proposals and the significant increase in density went unheard. That is until our communications team and I began to effectively communicate what the zoning changes would mean for the majority of people and how streets and parcels could be altered with additional units and story heights. I’m thankful that many of our residents were able to voice their opinions and offer constructive feedback on the current residential zoning proposals under consideration by the Community Development Board, but because this is being worked on through the summer, which I object to, many still are just finding out and some still do not know. I think we all agree, this cannot be the end of public involvement – we must give people a fair amount of time (outside of the summer months) to get up to speed about what has been proposed and provide input.
That’s why I will not move forward with signing the extension, unless the following items are met and/or discussed:
• The Council accepting the Community Development Board’s last recommendation on the Salem Street re-zoning
• Discussing reducing the story maximum on Mystic Avenue. The entire community was not engaged during the Mystic Ave re-zoning process. Like the residential piece, I feel that a 14-story height allowance by right, is substantial. Re-zoning almost a mile of high trafficked roadway to 14 stories by right will put a significant strain on our infrastructure including but not limited to Fire, Police, DPW and Schools. Departments were not given notice or an opportunity to comment on Mystic Avenue, so these concerns were not taken into consideration at the time.
• For the same reasons discussing the height by right in all of our corridors left to be re-zoned is important as well
• Discussing the residential timeline and working together on what makes the most sense.
• A firm commitment that parking minimums and residential zoning are proposed at the same time.
• As more people become aware of the proposed residential changes, they are emailing their concerns about density to us and outlining their frustration with the process. Unless the public sentiment suddenly shifts, I don’t believe the maps proposed by the City Council and under consideration by the Community Development Board should be revisited now or after the November election.
• Guarantees that public participation and input is prioritized and continued.
• Discussing the Innes extension and the terms before I agree to sign
• Implement procedures to ensure the Mayor’s Office receives resolutions within 48 hours, allowing me to exercise my authority. Delays of weeks are unacceptable and must be addressed to ensure transparent and accountable governance.
Since I became aware of the residential zoning map change, which further increased density across our residential neighborhoods, I expressed my deep concerns about the potential pushback this could create once more people were educated. Now, as that has happened, it’s clear that this process has fractured our community. This outcome however can be changed, now that our communications are more integrated with the process, and with better collaboration with the council hopefully understanding that I should have more than just an ear at the table, but also a voice. We must continue to give extensive opportunities for residents to help shape the zoning proposals that are under consideration.
There is a need to bring our zoning up to new standards and activate our potential from both a commercial and residential perspective. This is a goal I believe many of us share and want to see fulfilled. But it requires a joint effort that not only incorporates the priorities and cooperation from the community, but also a thoughtful collaboration between me, the City’s departments, and the City Council. This process is hard, and complex, but it doesn’t have to be combative. We all want to see Medford grow while reducing barriers to affordability and attract more families, more jobs and more smart development. And I know we can do this together.
Medford Happenings 