Zoning

• March 25, 2026: The City Council and Community Development Board held a joint public hearing on the severed Medford Square Proposal.  

• March 11, 2026: City staff, City Council members, and consultants hold a community meeting on the Medford Square zoning proposal.

• March 3, 2026: The City Council and Community Development Board held a joint public hearing on the severed Medford Square Proposal.  

• February 18, 2026: Community Development Board technical meeting presentation.

• January 21, 2026: The City Council and Community Development Board held a joint public hearing on the severed Medford Square Proposal.  

• December 16, 2025: The City Council withdraws the residential and ADU proposals and refers them back to the Planning and Permitting Committee. The City Council also votes to withdraw the West Medford and Medford Squares proposal and submits two separate severed proposals for each Square (with Medford Square proposal being referred to the Community Development Board and the West Medford Square proposal being referred back to the Planning and Permitting Committee). 

• December 3, 2025: The Mayor and City Council announce a restart to the zoning project with defined goals through May 2026. 

• December 2, 2025: The City Council holds its third public hearing on the Salem Street zoning map amendment and votes to approve the amendment. 

• November 18, 2025: The City Council holds its second public hearing on the Salem Street zoning map amendment and continues discussion to December 2nd. 

• November 12, 2025: The City Council holds its first public hearing on the Salem Street zoning map amendment and continues discussion to November 18th. 

• October 15, 2025: the Community Development Board continues without discussion the West Medford and Medford Squares proposal to January 7, 2026, and holds a public hearing on the Salem Street zoning map amendment, ultimately voting to recommend that the City Council approve the amendment. 

• September 30, 2025: City Council votes to refer the Salem Street zoning map amendment back to the Community Development Board. 

• September 17, 2025: Community Development Board submits zoning map amendment to the Salem Street Neighborhood Corridor District to the City Council on the Mayor’s behalf in accordance with M.G.L c. 40A § 5. 

• August 6, 2025: The Community Development Board holds Board discussion to synthesize all public comments received and makes recommendations for next steps (West Medford and Medford Squares proposal is continued to October 15th and Residential and ADU proposals are continued to December 17th). 

• July 31, 2025: Mayor announces pause on Innes contract extension until a new path forward on zoning is agreed upon. 

In 2024, Innes Associates prepared a suite of maps of the City of Medford visually describing different community assets and attributes, demographics, land uses and more. These maps are used to inform all future discussions of zoning topics. 

→ View the maps here. 

→ Watch the recording of the 7/24/2024 Mapping Analysis Workshop in Planning & Permitting Committee.

→ Review the summary of feedback from the Mapping Analysis Workshop. 

→ Compare against the map of Medford’s zoning districts, which reflects updates through June 2024.

What is zoning?

Zoning rules are how communities govern what may or may not be built, and where. Without zoning, a developer could build a single-family next to a highway, or a high-rise next to the Fells. With zoning, we create the rules for what may be built where, and what conditions that developers must adhere to – height, number of units, what the building will be used for, dimensions, amount of open space on the lot. 

Through zoning, the community is organized into districts and rules and standards are developed for each, according to what makes sense for that area. Zoning is how we control what the fabric of our community looks like.

Why should we update our zoning?

The City of Medford spent years reaching out to thousands of Medford residents to form the foundation of our new Comprehensive Plan, Housing Production Plan, and Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. These documents articulate our shared community goals of increasing our housing supply, reducing emissions, promoting vibrant and walkable neighborhoods, and more. Medford’s zoning overhaul, the first major one in decades, addresses outdated and inefficient codes that hindered housing and mixed-use projects. By modernizing these regulations, the city is creating a foundation for equitable development, making it easier to build affordable housing and mixed-use developments, while promoting energy-efficient buildings and walkable communities. These updates could reduce car dependence, support small businesses, and create hubs that benefit the environment and economy, positioning Medford for a greener, more connected, and resilient future.

So we’ve changed zoning. How fast will I notice changes? 

Changing zoning does not mean that changes happen immediately or overnight. Changing zoning means changing what can happen when property owners or developers decide to develop vacant lots or redevelop existing buildings. When we change zoning, we change what a property owner or developer is allowed to do with their property. It does not force changes to the parcels or properties. 

What does it mean that something is done “by right”?

“By right” means what a developer or builder may do as a matter of course, without any need to seek special permissions, building permits, or zoning variances: a type of use (i.e., a medical office, a multiunit residential building), or a characteristic of the building (i.e., number of stories or units, or setback from the sidewalk).

What does it mean for businesses and existing buildings when zoning rules are updated? 

Under all zoning, whether new or unchanged: 

• If an existing use is “nonconforming” with current zoning, it can continue. 
• If the use stops for more than two years, then the use is no longer allowed, regardless of ownership (i.e. if the property changes hands, or doesn’t). In other words: If the business sells to another owner, the same use can continue, as long as there hasn’t been a lapse of 2 or more years since the prior business was open and operating at the site.
• If an owner wants to sell for a different nonconforming use, for example, a New Dealership to a Used Dealership, that would be considered a change of use and would not be allowed.
• Medford allows Use Variances via the Zoning Board of Appeals. However, it’s a high standard to be able to receive a Use Variance; the decision is based on a lot’s shape, topography, and soil conditions. Use Variances are not awarded simply because a new use is similar to a prior approved use.  
• Existing nonconforming uses need to get a special permit to increase the non-conformity.  For example, this would occur if an owner wanted to expand an existing, nonconforming building to do more business under the same use at the same site. 
• Other subtleties may factor into existing non-conforming properties that have different rights. For specific questions and specific cases, property owners should consult with a zoning lawyer on their rights and responsibilities under MGL Ch 40A. 

Before the current zoning overhaul, the City amended its zoning table of uses in 2023. A zoning table of uses shows what type of activities, buildings, and businesses are allowed or not allowed in certain parts in a city. The 2023 Zoning Table of Use amendments  aimed to reflect the current needs of the community, making updates to outdated definitions, and changing the approval process of certain uses. 

→ Read the approved 2023 Zoning Amendments.