First, I want to start out by saying that I had a plan. There were certain blogs that I wanted to write to help people to be able to understand the Salem St Corridor Zoning. That was it. But the more I dig, the more I fact check myself, the more I uncover. As the mayor said in the State of the City, there is a lot of misinformation coming out, but unfortunately it is coming from City Hall. I again say, if there is a belief that I am spreading misinformation, then the mayor has my contact information. Let’s all sit down…bring in members of the City Council Planning and Permitting Committee, Alicia Hunt, Innes Associates and let’s find out who is really spreading misinformation. If I am wrong, I will retract and correct IMMEDIATELY and publicly. If they are wrong, then the mayor can hold a press conference and announce that since it was the city that was spreading the misinformation that the Salem St Zoning will be pulled at this time in order to conduct the appropriate studies, gain community input, then write the zoning, gather more community input and make modifications. When my phone doesn’t ring…
Medford is holding a Q&A on Monday Feb. 10th at 6:30PM at the Roberts School. We have been promoting it DAILY, the city put it as item #5 on a robocall on Thursday Jan. 30th and on Facebook the same day (which corresponded with our neighborhood meeting about the zoning). Please attend and bring questions. We are here to answer any questions you have before or after that meeting.
Let’s get to it. Green Score vs. Salem St Corridor Zoning! Who will win? There can only be one! The Community Development Board met on Wednesday Feb. 5th to discuss (among other things) the Green Score zoning. Innes Associates (zoning consultant) gave a 15 minute or so presentation about how new projects would be put through having to attain a certain Green Score at the site plan review. I won’t feign any expertise on this, but it boils down to open space combined with trees, plants as those things are a public good and good for the environment. It was a very high-level presentation and there were few if any questions about this zoning. The Green Score zoning was passed back to the City Council.
We all know that I am curious and had to see what was in this zoning. What could possibly be bad about this? Surely this Green Score can be nothing but good for the Salem St Corridor. I also spoke with someone who knows more than I about Green Score and they told me that it was possible that the extreme density in the Salem St Corridor would be impossible with the Green Score requirement and they may find that out quickly when the first build applies for site plan review. A ray of hope! I opened the Green Score ordinance and waded in.
The Salem St Corridor zoning is allowing 3k (70% smaller) lots to hold up to 6 story apartment buildings (height dependent on zone up to doubling) with 80% lot coverage and 12-foot sidewalks fronting Salem St. So, for prospective, a 3k square foot lot would be allowed to cover 2400 square feet of the lot with impervious surfaces (building, asphalt, cement). Surely the Green Score would be unachievable with that level of lot coverage on such a small lot. Right? We found it! The key to this zoning being scaled back! Page 10 of the Salem St Corridor Zoning says for MR (3-6 units in 3 stories) there is no Green Score but 20% permeable(min). MX-1 and MX-2 have a Green Score of 25 with 20% permeable(min).
Now back to the Green Score Ordinance…so they look at the size of the lot and assign points to the landscaped elements (and calculate the area of those elements). They do some math, there are items that are multipliers and can increase their numbers. Through the magic of all that math we learned in high school and beyond, they come out with a score.
The Salem St. Corridor zoning says they need to get to a score of 25 (p10). They finish off the Salem St Corridor Design Guidelines with this caveat (p18):
“7. Waivers: Upon the request of the Applicant, the Site Plan Review Authority may wave the requirements of 94-9 X6 (Development Standards that includes open space and plantings) in the interests of design flexibility and overall project quality and upon a finding of consistency of such variation with the overall purpose and objectives of the SSCD (Salem Street Corridor District).”*
*Parentheses added by us for readability
But wait…surely the Green Score can’t be compromised. Obviously, the Green Score Ordinance would have a safeguard in it. Some minimum score that MUST unquestionably be achieved to build a project. Especially in the Salem Street Corridor that is already an Environmental Justice neighborhood and has a disproportionate amount of heat islands. Innes explained that the Green Score will be required. This must just be another “typo” in the Salem Street Corridor that will be quickly corrected when attention is brought to it. What say you, Green Score Ordinance (p18)?
“ADD 94-11.7.18 Waivers. Upon request of the Applicant, the Site Plan Review Authority may waive the requirements of Green Score in the interests of design flexibility and overall project quality upon a finding of consistency of such variation with the purpose of the Green Score and the relevant zoning district’s overall purpose and objectives.”
Hold on now! That sounds like two ordinances are saying that Green Score (and all design standards) can be stripped away at the request of the developer. Why would this have not been included in the presentation by Innes to the Community Development Board? It seems that should have been given more discussion and scrutiny. There is no way we would allow a Green Score to be completely waived in order to achieve more density. There must be some minimum threshold. Why was this not even mentioned? If no one points it out, then it is just included and allowed. Will it be changed even if it is pointed out?
Wow! In the Salem St Corridor zoning, the 3-6 unit apartment buildings have no Green Score requirement. These are 3 story buildings up to 42 feet tall with 80% lot coverage allowed. The MX-1 and MX-2 have a score of 25 that can be waived to meet objectives of the zoning. What are the Salem Street Corridor overall purposes and objectives (p12)?
“94-9X.1 Purpose
The purpose of the Salem Street Corridor District (SSCD) is to allow a mix of uses, including lower scale residential, multifamily and commercial to meet the following needs for the corridor.
1. Wider variety of uses and building types to support jobs and economic development near established residential neighborhoods providing options for living within walking distance of jobs, goods, and services.
2. Mixed-use, multifamily, and commercial uses at a density appropriate to a walkable urban corridor.
3. Design standards to buffer abutting neighborhoods from the higher density of uses and reinforce the corridor identity along the length of Salem St.”
Seems like the purpose is dense buildings. What is the “urban corridor” that they are trying to create?
"An urban Corridor comprises a diverse collection of neighborhoods along its length, in which people are increasingly drawn to live, work and be close to all of the opportunities that come from living. The corridor design for development or redevelopment primarily focusses on rethinking the city’s composition with respect to public transportation and mobility. Using the same amount of land, it enables the transport of larger numbers of people than is possible with private vehicles, while reducing the social and environmental impact of mobility (cost of transport, flow consolidation, extension of electrically powered systems etc.) The transformation of the Corridor will also spur on investment, enhancing its emerging economic assets and providing greater access to a variety of jobs. Successful corridor and transportation planning can be achieved by unifying all components of urban design and planning"
Urban Corridors are often areas of high density, with a mix of residential, retail, and employment uses.
Why does this zoning continue to pretend that Salem St is (as Kit Collins called it) “transit-proximate?” Salem St is not a high-speed road with limits of 20 to 25. The goal is to get large buildings on small lots. It seems reasonable that the Green Score will be waived as allowed in both the Salem St Corridor zoning and the Green Score zoning.
We have already dug into the “buffer abutting neighborhoods” and found that to also be waivable at the request of the applicant.
By leaving these decisions to the Community Development Board rather than requiring a variance (which is held to a higher legal standard for allowing things beyond the zoning), they have made it easier and faster for a developer to push his vision of the project through with less recourse or scrutiny allowed by the community that will have to live with it.
Please read, like and share the blogs. We aim to arm you with data for the City Q&A on Monday Feb. 10th at 6:30PM at the Roberts Elementary. Feel free to reach out with questions and we will have some sample questions to share with anyone who may not be sure what to ask at the meeting. Look for us there.
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