• Neighborhood and Urban Residential zoning is a framework for updating zoning rules for residential areas of the City. The goal of this proposal is to 
  • Modernize our current residential zoning code
  • Create a gradient of housing options, from the lowest-density residential housing in current SF1 and SF2 districts, up to higher-density that is needed and appropriate in more urban pockets of the City
  • Allow neighborhood growth in each area of the City
  • Tailor zoning rules to each area’s unique needs and characteristics.
• What factors go into the residential district proposals, and how do we choose what areas should be what subdistrict? 
  • Proximity to moderate- and high-frequency public transit 
  • Proximity to higher job density areas
  • Predominant lot sizes and topography in each area
  • Existing residential types in each area
  • Creating a transition between lower- and higher-density areas
• This project is one piece of the City Council’s comprehensive zoning review process. It was preceded by the Mystic Avenue Corridor District proposal, Salem Street Corridor District Proposal, and Green Score Proposal. After the Committee completes its review and amendments to this proposal, it will be referred to the Community Development Board for further review in public meetings.

• “Subdistricts” are how the different areas of the City are categorized and organized under zoning. Each subdistrict has different rules for what height, density, lot size, etc., a building may be by-right. 

• Subdistrict alone is not the final word on what may be built on any given parcel. Subdistricts set the “ceiling” for what may be developed on a given lot, but what is permitted to be built there in practice is impacted and constrained by other factors and requirements from the state Building Code and from other requirements within Medford’s zoning code. These other requirements include: open space minimums, lot coverage requirements, frontage and setback requirements, and other dimensional requirements and performance standards. 

• Currently, in this draft proposal, maximum by-right heights are three stories for all residential districts with the exception of UR2, where a fourth story may be allowed if Incentive Zoning (IZ) conditions are satisfied.

• For the Neighborhood and Urban Residential zoning proposal, the new, proposed subdistricts are NR1, NR2, NR3, UR1, and UR2. This is what is allowed by-right in each one under the current draft proposal. 

  • NR1

    • Single-unit dwellings

    • Historic Conversion of up to 2 Units per historic building

    • ADUs

  • NR2

    • Single-unit dwellings

    • Two-unit dwellings

    • Historic Conversion of up to 3 units per historic building

    • ADUs

  • NR3

    • Single-unit dwellings

    • Two-unit dwellings

    • Three-unit dwellings

    • Townhouses

    • Historic Conversion of up to 4 units per historic building

    • ADUs

  • UR1

    • Two-unit dwellings. 

    • Three-unit dwellings.

    • Historic Conversion of up to 5 units per historic building.

    • Townhouses.

    • Multiplexes of 4-6 units.  

  • UR2

    • Townhouses.

    • 3-unit dwellings.

    • Multiplexes of 4-6 units.

    • Multiple units dwellings of more than 6 units.

  • Mixed-use

    • Multiple-unit dwellings of more than 6 units: 4 stories maximum by-right, with an additional 2 stories with Incentive Zoning.

    • This district is a new addition as of the 2/12/2025 revised version of this proposal. It is designed to encourage commercial development in existing high-density areas of the city, where amenities are needed.

All projects proposed under new zoning would be subject to requirements in addition to minimum lot size and maximum number of units, including all other dimensional requirements, performance standards, affordable unit inclusionary zoning and Green Score (when applicable), as well as the Building Code. These requirements mean that new projects on many lots will not contain the maximum number of principal and accessory housing units allowed in the proposed zoning district.

• Under a new state law, ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) under 900 square feet must be allowed by-right in all single-family zoning districts. The proposed Neighborhood Residential subdistricts (NR1, NR2, and NR3) reflect this requirement because they allow single-unit dwellings by-right. The City Council has also added an option for a second ADU by special permit in every residential district.
• Historic Conversion allows for the conversion of an existing structure that is a minimum of 70 years old and originally designed as one unit to be renovated to contain multiple units, with no change to the building’s exterior. 
• The goal of this mechanism is to allow for more small and diverse housing options, provide another mechanism for incrementally increasing density across the City, and ensure that development can occur while preserving and maintaining cultural heritage and historical character. 

• This zoning proposal proposes new, modern residential zoning categories for all residential areas of the City. SF1, SF2, GR, APT1, and APT2 are recategorized as NR1, NR2, NR3, UR1 and UR2. 

• The five new subdistricts create a gradient, from lowest density (NR1) to highest density (UR2).

• Together with recent changes in State law, these new proposed subcategories, and their proposed distribution over Medford’s residential areas, represent changes for every neighborhood of the City. 

• What district goes where, and how much density is allowed where, is guided by characteristics and context like existing uses, topography, public vs. private ways, and access to transit. For example, in North Medford, narrow winding streets, steep grades, and a number of private ways (as opposed to public ways, which are roads owned and maintained by the City of Medford) affect what level of density and development is appropriate and possible. 

• Medford also has residential areas that now are next to brand-new transit hubs, where greater density may be appropriate; and areas where current zoning does not reflect the denser housing types that are already present. 

• This proposal has gone through several drafts and iterations, as the City Council and City Staff continue to work with the zoning consultant to tweak and make changes to the boundaries of each residential subdistrict in response to Councilor, staff, and community feedback. 

• Currently, the maximum by-right height for parcels in current SF1, SF2, or GR districts is 3 stories. (2.5 stories are allowed for detached single-family buildings; 3 stories applies to the middle and end units in an attached single-family in GR districts only; and an additional 4th floor is extended to Assisted Living residential structures.) 
• Under this proposal, the maximum by-right height remains 2.5 stories in NR1 and NR2 subdistricts (which are predominantly SF1 and SF2 districts under current zoning); and maintains 3 stories by-right in NR3, UR1, and UR2 subdistricts. In UR2 subdistricts only, a 4th story may be allowed if Incentive Zoning conditions are met.

My existing single-family or two-unit home conforms with current zoning. If the zoning proposal passes and my type of home is no longer permitted by-right, what happens? Am I still allowed to renovate my home? 

Yes. Our Code of Ordinances (Section 94) provides for protections for nonconforming uses and structures. Section 94–5.5 reads, “Nonconforming single and two family residential structures may be reconstructed, extended, altered, or structurally changed upon a determination by the building commissioner that such proposed reconstruction, extension, alteration, or change does not increase the nonconforming nature of said structure and adds not more than 100 percent to its gross floor area.” More about these regulations is available to read here. 

If a certain type of residential building is allowed by-right in a residential subdistrict, does that mean it can be constructed on any lot in that subdistrict?

Subdistrict alone is not the final word on what may be built on any given parcel. Subdistricts set the “ceiling” for what may be developed on a given lot, but what is permitted to be built there in practice is impacted and constrained by other factors and requirements from the state Building Code and from other requirements within Medford’s zoning code. These other requirements include: lot size, open space minimums, lot coverage requirements, frontage and setback requirements, and other dimensional requirements and performance standards.

• 6/18/2025 Community Development Board Meeting: Presentation by Innes Associates on Residential zoning:

  • Introduction

  • Lot Requirements

  • ADUs

  • Private Ways

• 5/21/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing presentation and reformatted zoning proposal. Proposal zoning map presented is the same version as presented on 5/7/2025.

• 5/7/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing presentation, updated zoning proposal, updated proposed zoning map, and video recording – further discussion of zoning topic including updated proposal map

• 4/16/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing presentation and video recording–discussed Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) in the context of the Neighborhood Residential zoning topic.

• 4/2/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing presentation, initial zoning proposal referred from City Council, initial zoning map, and video recording–introduction of Neighborhood Residential zoning topic to the Community Development Board and 1st Public Hearing.

   

• 3/27/2025 Public Q&A – slide deck and meeting recording

• 2/26/2025 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – further discussion of Neighborhood and Urban Residential zoning topic, district boundaries, dimensional requirements, and protections for nonconforming structures.
• 2/12/2025 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – further discussion of Neighborhood Residential zoning topic, district boundaries, and initial discussion of Urban Residential district zones
• 1/29/2025 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – further discussion of Neighborhood Residential zoning topic and district boundaries
• 1/15/2025 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – introduction of Neighborhood Residential zoning topic

• What may change and where
• Proposed and existing Housing Map
• Existing non-conforming map
• ADUs half mile radius from transit stations

• The Salem Street Corridor District creates updated zoning for the main drag along Salem Street from the rotary up to the Haines Square business area. This zoning creates the potential to moderately increase residential housing while ensuring neighborhood compatibility and maintaining first floor commercial uses. 
• The previous zoning on Salem Street allowed 3 story dwellings by right along the entire corridor, and allowed six-story dwellings and fifteen-story hotels by right in Haines Square. The new SSCD zoning maintains 3-story by-right heights for most of the corridor (Multi-Unit Residential and Mixed-Use 1 subdistricts); and raises by-right heights to four stories just in Mixed-Use 2 subdistricts, which are concentrated on blocks that are already busier, more developed, and not exclusively residential (namely, Haines Square and the Park Street x Salem Street intersection). 
• The zoning is designed to be supportive of the neighborhood character of Salem Street. It includes development context standards to ensure cohesion where shorter and taller buildings abut each other. In residential subdistricts where additional stories may be unlocked if developers satisfy Incentive Zoning conditions and/or go through the Site Plan Review process, additional floors (a 4th story in MU1 subdistricts, and 5th and 6th floors in MU2 subdistricts) must be stepped back to maintain cohesion and the flow of natural light.
• Salem Street is characterized by beloved small businesses – all of which are nonconforming under the previous zoning. The SSCD creates new Mixed Use blocks that allow ground-level commercial by-right to encourage small business development.
• This new zoning updates the Commercial zoning in Haines Square, setting the stage for better development of large commercial lots, and fixing the previous zoning that allowed 15-story hotels by-right. It also introduces a new, clarified definition of “neighborhood medical office” to ensure that any in-district doctor’s offices will be small-scale and low-volume. 

• This zoning allows for developers to go above maximum by-right heights in Mixed Use and Commercial subdistricts but only if certain community benefits are maximized and fully satisfy Incentive Zoning conditions, i.e., public green space, or street and sidewalk improvements. While there are several incentive options, developers can only go up 1 additional floor in MX1 and 2 additional floors in MX2. No additional heights beyond by-right are allowed in Multi-Unit Residential subdistrict uses. 
• Adoption of new or amended zoning is not the end of the line for community process, and Incentive Zoning conditions are not a “blank check” for developers. Non-by-right uses are subject to Site Plan Review and public permitting procedures which involve traffic, parking and environmental impact studies, and negotiation and impact mitigation agreements on a case-by-case basis.   

• Adopted Zoning Map
• Adopted Salem Street Zoning Amendment

I couldn’t make it to the Public Q&A on February 10th. Was it recorded? 

This meeting was not recorded, however, a memo summarizing community feedback is available here.

Does this proposal make it easier for cannabis dispensaries to open on Salem Street? 

The new zoning does not make it easier to open cannabis retail on Salem Street. Under Medford’s current zoning, cannabis retail is not allowed in Commercial or Apartment districts, just in Commercial 2 and Industrial districts. The new zoning does not allow cannabis retail uses in any of the zones on Salem Street.

Does the new zoning make it easier for addiction treatment service providers to open on Salem Street? 

This zoning introduces a new, clearer definition of “neighborhood medical office” – different from the definition of “medical office” – to ensure that any in-district doctor’s offices are small-scale and low-volume: not more than 1,500 square feet, with no more than 5 employees, and only allowed to operate between 8 AM and 7:30 PM. 

Per the new zoning, “neighborhood medical office” uses are allowed by special permit in MX-2 and Commercial subdistricts. All medical uses, including neighborhood medical but also including medical offices and clinics, are prohibited in MX-1 and Multi-Unit Residential subdistricts. 

This new definition allows neighborhood medical uses like private practice podiatrists and dentists, that are already woven into the fabric of Salem Street, to remain conforming with zoning. By law, cities must regulate and allow/disallow all uses – including medical – by scale and scope (square footage, hours of operation, number of employees), and not by speciality. This zoning gives neighborhoods the option of having medical providers nearby, while better controlling for the size and volume of those services. 

Can developers “stack” incentives to build very tall buildings? 

No. The maximum height cap, district-wide, is six stories – and that’s if Incentive Zoning (IZ) conditions are met to add 2 stories in Mixed-Use 2 and add 3 stories in Commercial. IZ height incentives are not extended for Multi-Unit Residential subdistricts: the height cap in those subdistricts remains at 3 stories, and only one extra floor is available in the Mixed-Use 1 area, to bring buildings to 4 stories. These incentives are ONLY available for parcels facing Salem St. If a parcel is on a side street, even if it is in the Mixed-Use 2 subdistrict, it cannot use incentive zoning to go taller.

Does this proposal add or remove any bike lanes, bus lines, or traffic lanes? 

No. Zoning is not a mechanism for adding or removing bike lanes, vehicle travel lanes, or other ways of directly impacting traffic – zoning can only dictate what may and may not be built, under what conditions and for what uses, on parcels – not on roads. All bus lines are operated by the MBTA, over which the City of Medford has no jurisdiction; zoning cannot add or subtract bus service. 

However, through Incentive Zoning, the City may leverage additional stories of height (up to a hard maximum) in exchange for community amenities which include road and sidewalk improvements from developers. In Incentive Zoning cases, where incentives are as-of-right, they are approved through the Building Commissioner. Where incentives are not as-of-right, the community amenities provided in exchange for increased height or other building attributes are negotiated and determined through a public Site Plan Review process. 

Why aren’t we doing a traffic study first? 

Changing our zoning will result in changes to the fabric of the district over a period of decades, while doing point-in-time traffic studies is more like a snapshot. The City can be more responsive to potential traffic and parking changes via the Site Plan Review process – which would kick in anytime a developer wants to build beyond by-right uses. 

The SSCD zoning allows 3 stories by-right for most parcels up and down Salem Street. This is very similar to the previous by-right heights up and down Salem Street. The exception are the Mixed-Use 2 districts, where 4 stories are allowed by-right: these parcels center around the Park St x Salem St intersection, and in Haines Square. The new zoning further reduces by-right heights to 3 stories in Commercial districts, a reduction from what the previous zoning allowed in Commercial districts.  

For Site Permit Review projects, developers are required to produce traffic studies and documentation of how their projects would impact traffic, parking, and other effects. The City can then consider these impacts and negotiate to conditions and mitigations accordingly, before extending building permissions and permits.

What about parking? 

This new zoning makes no change to existing per-unit parking standards, maintaining current standards: 2 spots per dwelling unit for single family homes; 1.5 parking spots per dwelling unit for two-unit and multiple-unit dwellings; 0.5 spots per unit for deed-restricted affordable units; and 0.8 spots per unit for areas determined to be within a half-mile of high frequency transit. 

The City Council plans to comprehensively review parking standards as part of the citywide zoning project, later in the spring, rather than singling out individual neighborhoods for changes to parking strategy.

• 3/11/2025 City Council Public Hearing on SSCD Proposed Zoning packet and video – final vote on Salem Street Corridor District zoning (approved)
• 3/10/2025 Memo Summarizing CDB Recommendations on SSCD Proposal for City Council
• 3/6/2025 Draft of SSCD Zoning Memo showing recommendations from City staff, Community Development Board, and zoning consultant. .
• Revised Proposed SSCD Zoning Memo, 3/3/2025 Version – Red-lined to show further proposed changes since City Council referral to the Community Development Board. 
• Proposed SSCD Zoning Memo, 1/27/2025 Version – Red-lined to show the proposed amendments since the City Council referral to the Community Development Board. 
• 2/10/2025 Public Q&A at the Roberts Elementary School – memorandum summarizing community feedback and questions
• 1/22/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing #1 on SSCD and Green Score – video recording
  • Public Hearing Notice summarizing proposed changes
  • Draft Zoning Memorandum
  • Public hearing continued to 3/5/2025
• 12/11/2024 Planning and Permitting Committee packet and presentation and video – review of updates to draft Salem Street Corridor zoning
  • Proposed SSCD Zoning Memo, 12/11/2024 Version
  • Proposed SSCD Zoning Map, 12/8/2024 Version
• 12/3/2024 Planning and Permitting Committee packet and memo and video – introduction of Salem Street Corridor zoning to be further discussed at 12/11/24 committee meeting

• “Green Score” is a rubric that cities use to provide developers with requirements and incentives to meet environmental standards in building projects. 
• Green Score carries forward existing environmental standards for developers; creates additional and flexible ways for developers to meet environmental standards; and updates the rubric for what development waivers or bonuses developers may earn by meeting specific environmental and climate-protection criteria. 
• Green Score strengthens the City’s existing Open Space and Pervious Surface requirements for developments, and will help the City achieve the following goals from Medford’s Comprehensive Plan and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan: 
  • Adopt flood resilience building guidelines
  • Adopt design and materials standards for cooler surfaces
  • Adopt new landscape performance standards for heat mitigation, stormwater infiltration, and soil health
  • Reach a tree canopy ratio necessary to reduce urban heat island temperatures and reduce stormwater runoff citywide
  • Expand green infrastructure while extending flexibility in how developers meet environmental standards
  • Promote a functional ecological landscape, increasing biodiversity and habitat areas within the City
  • Beautify the City
• Green Score creates a menu of different landscape and infrastructural elements that provide options that can be tailored to different building and site conditions. These include:
  • Planted areas
  • Different types of plantings (mulch, groundcovers, shrubs, trees, preservation of mature trees)
  • Green roofs
  • Vegetated walls
  • Permeable paving

• Not every landscape element is equally beneficial to the community and the environment, and the proposed Green Score rubric and calculation reflects that. Each landscape element is given a different “multiplier” representing its impact on a proposed development’s overall Green Score. 

• Prior to this update, the City’s environmental standards for developers were limited. The Table of Dimensional Requirements created Open Space minimums, but not Pervious Surface minimums (which is important for stormwater runoff, etc.), and provided few options for how developers may meet environmental standards or be credited for other environmental benefits. 
• Green Score is different from the City’s pre-existing stormwater regulations and building energy efficiency standards, of which Medford has already adopted the State Specialized Energy Code. 
• Green Score introduces a new minimum percentage Pervious Surface as a requirement in our zoning code for certain developments. Pervious Surface can mean: 
  • Grass, mulched groundcover, all areas of a vegetated roof planted with a growing medium, and other planted areas.
  • Permeable pavers or paving that facilitate the infiltration of water into the soil.
  • Decks or porches constructed above the surface of the lot that are erected on pier foundations, and that maintain a permeable surface underneath that can facilitate the infiltration of water into the soil. 
• Green Score provides additional flexibility and tailoring beyond Open Space and Pervious Surface by introducing a menu of different beneficial landscape elements that may all contribute to a proposed development’s Green Score. 
  • For example, on lots where the principal structure takes up less than 50% of the lot area, there is plenty of flexibility for maintaining pervious surfaces – but on lots where buildings have more coverage, it is necessary to extend, and to count, other types of environmental benefits. Therefore, it is proposed that Minimum Open Space and Pervious Surface requirements can be combined with the many potential other Green Score criteria. 
• Green Score allows the City to incentivize a range of beneficial environmental treatments from developers, which is more reflective of the holistic treatments that our community and our local environment need. 

Does Green Score allow developers to exceed height/story maximums? 

No, incentives or waivers earned through Incentive Zoning or Green Score are still constrained by total height maximums. 

Does Green Score regulate building energy efficiency standards? 

No, Green Score is a separate process from building energy efficiency standards. Medford has already adopted the State Specialized Energy Code. 

• 3/11/2025 City Council Public Hearing on Green Score Proposal packet and video – final vote on Green Score (approved) 

• 3/10/2025 Memo Summarizing CDB Recommendations on Green Score Proposal for City Council

• 3/6/2025 Green Score Zoning Memo showing recommendations from City staff, Community Development Board, and zoning consultant

• 3/5/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing #2 on SSCD and Green Score – video recording

• 2/5/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing #2 on Green Score video recording
• 1/22/2025 Community Development Board Public Hearing #1 on Green Score and SSCD video recording
  • CDB Public Hearing Notice summarizing proposed changes
  • Text of Green Score Proposal referred to CDB from City Council
• 11/13/2024 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – discussion of proposed Green Score zoning ordinance; review of draft ordinance and Green Score test worksheets. 

• 10/9/2024 Planning and Permitting committee packet and memo and video recording – preliminary discussion of Green Score proposal.