Why write another blog going through the blog of a city councilor about the Salem St zoning? Because nuggets of misinformation passed on by elected officials have a big impact on the community. It is important to try and hold our elected responsible for the messages that they are pushing to residents. As the chair of the Planning and Permitting Committee, Kit should have a deep understanding of this zoning. So, she is either misinformed or misinforming others intentionally. Neither is good.
From reading Councilor Matt Leming’s blog yesterday, we learned about a blog written by Councilor Kit Collins. We just wanted to provide some clarification on some of the “information” shared there. Zoning can be complicated and when sharing information with the public, you need to be very clear to avoid confusion. Her blog is short, so here we go.
Yes! Despite their best efforts to pass the Salem Street zoning as quickly and with as little community input as possible, we and YOU have brought enough attention to this rezoning that they had to slow down. PLEASE attend this meeting and bring your questions and concerns! We will see you there!
No one should just be hearing about this for the first time…especially the neighborhood that is being impacted. That is a serious failure on the part of the city and city council.
The rezoning goes into every side street along Salem St and is NOT exclusive to Salem St. Salem St is being rezoned to the Malden line past Haines Square. This is more than a moderate increase in housing. First floor commercial is not required here. Apartment buildings with no retail are allowed by right and lobbies in apartment buildings qualify as mixed use. No steps have been taken, nor studies been undergone, to “ensure neighborhood compatibility.”
This is incorrect. The base height is 4 stories and the additional two can be given with easy incentives like a fountain or a park bench. The maximum height in the red zone is 6 stories. The blue zone allows 4 stories with the same easy incentives. Even the “maintains 3 story heights” added an extra 7 feet to the former maximum of 35 feet to allow 42 feet. Above from page 10 of the zoning. The stepbacks can be waived by the Community Development Board. The only allowance for a building abutting a residential zone is to go to the base height if they are within 20-30 feet of the rear or side setback of a home in the residential zoning district (they are currently redoing the residential zoning, so that may change). A tall building that abuts a residential home that is also upzoned is only required to give them a 5-foot buffer and an 8-foot fence or a 10-foot buffer.
As most of these businesses have no parking and many occupy their entire parcel, there is no way for them to add housing on top of them unless the city council opts to remove all parking requirements, or they demolish the building and build anew with parking which will force the business to close.
If the goal was just to remove 15 story hotel rights (which were clearly never acted on), then this overly dense zoning was unnecessary. The medical definitions have changed many times reflecting the haste with which they are trying to pass this zoning. The current zoning that was passed by the city council and voted on twice by Kit Collins does not list a “neighborhood medical office.” Because YOU have spoken out, the Planning Department and Innes Associates (the consultant) have SUGGESTED to change the medical uses from clinics allowed by special permit (including methadone dispensaries) to a neighborhood medical clinic allowed by right and a medical office allowed by special permit and no to a clinic. It is unclear if these definitions disallow methadone dispensaries. Please note that these items are NOT reflected in the zoning passed to the Community Development Board and do not reflect any actual change.
Saying maximum by right heights is somewhat misleading. The max heights are 6 in red zone, 4 in blue zone and 3 in yellow zone (it is stated as such on p10 of the zoning). They have also increased heights per floor so that the former 35 foot max is expanded to 42 feet even in the zones they claim “remain 3 stories.” Shall we talk incentives? Everyone knows that a fountain and a park bench put together equal an additional story. Things like heat pumps can also get an additional story. Included in the zoning passed for review by city council are things like pocket parks, gardens, playgrounds, skate parks, streetscape that the city is required to maintain and more. The incentives are easy to get and undefined as far as minimums, so all developers will seek to maximize their heights when the barrier to doing so is comically low.
And about max height…“The limitation on height of buildings shall not apply to chimneys, ventilators, towers, silos, spires or other ornamental features of buildings” and “site plan review authority…may waive height and setbacks…to accommodate the installation of solar photovoltaic, solar thermal, living and other eco roofs, energy storage and air source heat pump equipment. Such installations shall not create a significant detriment to abutter in terms of noise or shadow.” This is found on page 13 of the zoning.
The city council, Planning Department and Innes Associates were supposed to conduct studies to ensure that this zoning was feasible and not a detriment to the neighborhood. This is outlined in the Comprehensive Plan. Having failed to do so in their haste to pass this zoning, they have passed the work onto YOU for each individual project that comes up. Only if you notice that it is happening, because as you know notification of these projects is not wide. The city council needs to do their job and conduct the needed studies. That is what is required to pass zoning changes like this. It is not the responsibility of the community to try and fight off each project. The result will be these projects getting passed as they are complying with the faulty zoning that the city council is passing.
Kit Collins knows full well that when the zoning is on the side of the developer, there is little to nothing that the community can do to stop it. We are all familiar with the Tufts dormatory. The zoning there allowed 12 stories and because it was not studied when put in place, the impacts were not realized and will be felt by the neighbors. The building is complying with the zoning and many city councilors have written letters to try and dissuade Tufts from complying with the zoning. STUDIES NOW!
Again, this is misleading. The “incentives for alternative minimum residential parking requirements” and “located within ½ mile of high-frequency transit .8 per dwelling unit” language is found on page 9 of the zoning. Kit Collins herself was called the zoning “transit proximate” in her letter to the Community Development board. Transit-proximate development is a term used by some planning officials to describe (potentially dense) development that is physically near a public transport node (e.g. a bus station, train station or metro station). This type of development includes transit-oriented development. So Kit is certainly creating the bridge to allow .8 parking spaces per unit. (link to Kit’s letter in Community Development Board public comments: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1APZBOHJzuaL1yaG1VTJOrdRCmzavXtVk/view?usp=drivesdk)
Here is an email from the Traffic Engineer and notice what he calls the bus that will be going down Salem St. A “high frequency bus route.” This phrase matches the language in the zoning.
It is also distressing to hear that they plan to change parking minimums in “a comprehensive citywide strategy…rather than on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis.” The parking issues are unique to each neighborhood and while there are some overlaps, a citywide strategy will be inadequate and harmful (and is likely only referring to the plan to require permits for parking on the street in a zone rather than street specific way). As Alicia Hunt has frequently mentioned, there are developers waiting for the Salem St zoning to pass and they will be pulling permits likely before any citywide parking zoning is explored.
All of you did this! The emails and phone calls have forced them to do SOMETHING. We have been calling for meeting agendas that list more than “Update from Innes Associates” and community notification, community input and the necessary studies to inform proper zoning in this area. It isn’t enough. So far, they are just planning to tell you what they are going to do to the neighborhood at the City Q&A and not solicit your feedback to make changes to the actual zoning. PLEASE attend the City Q&A on Monday February 10th at 6:30PM at the Roberts Elementary School.
We hope that this information has made you better informed about some of the sticking points of this zoning. Feel free to read through the zoning here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1errm46ePn_4UB1Tb6qZzzp1p49pSAb72/view?usp=share_link
As always, if you have questions, please ask them. We need to keep this momentum going and let the city hear us. We are a neighborhood! Not a corridor!
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