Community Encouraged to Learn About Draft Zoning Proposal for the Salem Street Corridor at December 11 City Council Meeting

The Medford City Council Planning & Permitting Committee and the Department of Planning, Development & Sustainability invite residents to review and give input a draft zoning proposal for the Salem Street Corridor at the December 11 City Council Meeting at 7 p.m. in person and via zoom.

The Salem Street Corridor zoning proposal is one part of the City Council's systemic review and update of citywide zoning over the 2024-2025 term. For this project, the City Council and PDS Department are working with Innes Associates, a local zoning consultancy firm that also worked with the City of Medford on its years long Comprehensive Planning process.

These zoning proposals are crafted by the Council's zoning consultant in consultation with the Planning & Permitting Committee and City staff, and all proposals guided by the citywide goals and community feedback articulated in Medford's Comprehensive Plan, Housing Production Plan, and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.

An initial draft of the Salem Street Corridor zoning proposal was presented to the Committee on December 3rd for initial feedback and questions. This project proposes new zoning for the corridor along Salem Street, which includes the 2–4 parcels extending north and south of Salem Street, beginning at the Rt. 60 roundabout and extending to Haines Square. This current zoning proposal would not include the greater Salem Street neighborhood outside of these boundaries. 

The zoning proposal organizes the Salem Street Corridor into four subdistricts: two Mixed-Use districts; Commercial; and Multi-Unit Residential. The current draft seeks to reflect Salem Street's status as a bustling commercial corridor, enhance its existing residential character, and incentivize more business development along key blocks and in Haines Square, including setting the stage for better community use of large commercial parcels in Haines Square.

Under the current draft, Salem Street would be largely bordered by Mixed-Use subdistricts. The proposal allows greater building height to be clustered around the Salem x Park Street intersection, via the Mixed Use 2 subdistrict, as well as northeast of Grant Avenue approaching Haines Square. The Mixed Use 1 subdistrict is proposed for the intervening blocks, to encourage mixed-use business development at lower maximum heights, with some blocks reserved for residential uses, such as Dudley to Otis on the south side of the street, Cherry to Sheridan on the north side, and Farragut to Grant on the south side.

The zoning proposal further articulates what uses (i.e. what types of residences, community uses, or types of businesses) are allowable by right, disallowed, and allowed by special permit, in each of those subdistricts. It further creates standards for the dimensions and characteristics that certain types of buildings must adhere to in each of those subdistricts (i.e. lot area, minimum and maximum height, as well as environmental standards).

After further review and feedback by Councilors, City staff and the public, the next steps for the proposed zoning would be review by the Community Development Board, which would then promulgate recommendations and feedback for the City Council to consider, prior to a vote to ordain the new zoning. These procedural steps apply to all zoning changes.

For further information, please visit medfordma.org/zoning. Information about the City Council's current zoning work can be found in the section labeled "Phase 2 (In Progress)."