Medford Square Planning & Redevelopment

In Spring 2025, the City of Medford announced that they selected development company Transom Real Estate as a partner in the City’s project to transform three undeveloped city-owned lots in Medford Square along Clippership Drive and Riverside Avenue into a combination of mixed-use retail and residential, with ample parking options for seniors and Chevalier Theatre.

Learn more here.

In late 2024, the City released a Request for Proposal (RFP) to redevelop three underused city-owned lots in Medford Square along Clippership Drive. This was a culmination of years of work, planning efforts, and community engagement to confirm priorities for the Square and inform the scope and direction of the RFP. 

Learn more here.

In early 2024, City staff and City Council leadership, in partnership with Innes Land Strategies Group, began to comprehensively overhaul the City’s zoning ordinance to streamline and modernize the development process, which will encourage multimodal, mixed-use developments in squares and corridors throughout Medford. The City Council and the Community Development Board are currently in the process of reviewing proposals to rezone Medford Square.

To learn more about the rezoning and keep up to date, visit the zoning webpage.

In 2023, the City Council established a District Improvement Financing (DIF) plan in Medford Square. Within the set boundaries of the DIF area, the City can capture tax revenue generated from private investment within the Square. The DIF plan did not create a new tax, rather it captures the increase in the assessed value of properties within the Square that result from new investments like renovations or new construction. The revenue generated by the DIF are directed toward public projects within the Square that are both essential to the well-being of the community and to making the area more attractive for businesses, residents, and visitors.

Learn more about the DIF here.

Building on prior evaluations of the development potential city-owned parcels in the Square, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) provided a new set of recommendations to guide the City of Medford in issuing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for redevelopment in the post COVID-19 period. The memo prioritizes a mixed-use development that balances affordable housing, parking, ground-floor commercial space, public open space, and other community benefits. It recommends setting minimum and “highly advantageous” criteria in the RFP, while noting that maximizing benefits may require below-market land pricing, zoning changes, and potential use of District Improvement Financing (DIF) revenues. Overall, the memo translates community priorities into a structured evaluation framework intended to help the City select a development proposal that advances housing needs, economic vitality, and long-term public value in Medford Square.

Read the memo here.

In 2023, the City of Medford adopted the Medford Comprehensive Plan as a shared community vision for the future that was meant to inform the City’s policies and investments. Medford Square was identified as a neighborhood that should receive additional attention in terms of community planning initiatives, with the community feedback from the Comprehensive Plan process providing directions for these studies.

Learn more about the comprehensive plan here.

In 2019, Abramson & Associates prepared an evaluation of the development potential of three city-owned parcels in Medford Square for MassDevelopment and the City of Medford. The goal of this study was to inform a potential Request for Proposal (RFP) for the private redevelopment of city-owned parking lots around City Hall that would support the City’s long-term revitalization goals. The report concluded that mixed-use development featuring multi-family rental housing with ground-floor commercial space on two of the lots, with structured parking to meet demand on the third lot, would be the most financially feasible redevelopment approach.

Learn more about the study here.

See the public presentation here.

In 2018, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) examined long-standing transportation challenges in and around Medford Square and identified the Square as one of the region's most complex and high-crash roadway environments. This study documented heavy congestion, high rates of vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle crashes, limited bicycle infrastructure, and difficult pedestrian crossings on major corridors including Salem Street, High Street, Mystic Valley Parkway, and Winthrop Street. Ultimately, the study recommended a combination of short-term, low-cost safety improvements and long-term roadway redesigns aimed at improving traffic operations, pedestrian and bicycle safety, transit access, and overall quality of life.

Learn more about the study here.

Building on previous work with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), the City of Medford adopted a new master plan for Medford Square in 2017, that intended to position the Square for a thriving future that leveraged its assets. Drawing upon four broad themes (economic vitality, land use, transportation and connectivity, and open space), the plan placed emphasis on activating ground-floor uses, improving pedestrian and bicycle safety, rethinking parking and street design, encouraging mixed-use redevelopment on key city-owned parcels, and strengthening arts, culture, and district management. The plan outlined both short-term and long-term implementation strategies that not only included physical investments but also improvements to the management, activities, and policies of the Square.

Read the final master plan report here: 

• Medford Square Master Plan Executive Summary
• Medford Square Master Plan Final Report
  • Appendix 1 (existing conditions)
  • Appendix 2 (market analysis)

Learn more about the master planning process here:

• Medford Square Master Plan Feedback
• Medford Square Master Plan City Council Presentation August 2017
• Medford Square Master Plan September 2017 presentation
• 2016 Medford Square Master Plan Community Forum December 2016: Presentation, Handout, and Community Feedback

In 2016, the City of Medford partnered with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to reassess conditions in Medford Square and reaffirm a shared vision for its future. The goal of this memo was to create a foundational framework for the development of a new master plan by evaluating past plans and reports and engaging with the public and community stakeholders. This report found that many goals in earlier plans for the Square remained largely unmet, as traffic dominance, limited retail variety, and lack of inviting public spaces continued to discourage people from spending in the Square. Based on a series of community interviews and a public forum, the memorandum identified four key themes—economic development and vitality, land use and sense of place, transportation and connectivity, and open space and quality of life—that were used to set the stage for the next phase of the master plan process.

Learn more about the memo here.

In 2010, the City of Medford, in consultation with MassDevelopment, Utile, and Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, created the Medford Square Garage Feasibility Study with the following goals: identifying the best site, parking capacity, and layout of a new public parking garage, proposing design approaches to the garage, and integrating a new parking management strategy for the Medford Square downtown core. The study advocated for the construction of a sustainable public parking garage on existing lots between Governors Avenue and Bradlee Road. Other recommendations included the creation of a comprehensive parking management and pricing strategy and the improvement of the five-legged traffic intersection in the heart of the Square.

Learn more about the study here.

See the proposed site plan here.

In 2006, a team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) examined strategic areas in Medford Square and along the Mystic River. The report proposed ways the City of Medford could build its existing assets to create a more connected, vibrant, and resilient downtown primarily through the integration of the Mystic River Greenway. The team also identified several City owned parcels on the eastern edge of the Square that are ripe for redevelopment and could be used to support housing, retail, and civic life.

Learn more about the report here.

In 2005, the City of Medford adopted the Medford Square Master Plan to guide the long-term revitalization of the city’s historic downtown. The plan built on earlier visioning efforts from the 1990s and responded to growing concerns that Medford Square was fragmented, auto-oriented, and underperforming as a civic and commercial center.

The plan set out a vision for Medford Square as a walkable, mixed-use town center, calling for safer streets, stronger connections between the east and west sides of the Square, and renewed access to the Mystic River. It emphasized public spaces, housing, local retail, and cultural uses as key ingredients for a lively and economically resilient downtown.

Recognizing that transformation would take time, the plan outlined a phased implementation strategy that was to ensure that public and private efforts were synchronized.

Learn more about the plan here.