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Council tables McCormick Avenue conveyance, Affordable Housing Trust backs sale to fund nexus study
Summary
Medford’s Affordable Housing Trust recommended selling two undersized McCormick Avenue parcels and using proceeds to fund a Nexus study; the City Council tabled the conveyance on March 20 pending further review.
The Medford City Council on March 20 took up a proposed transfer and conveyance of two small city parcels on McCormick Avenue to raise funds for the Affordable Housing Trust and to pay for a Nexus study of linkage and inclusionary zoning fees.
Lisa Ann Davidson, chair of the Medford Affordable Housing Trust Fund, submitted a letter asking the council to approve the sale and transfer of parcels F1337 and F1338. The letter states that each parcel is undersized and not independently developable, and that the assessor individually values them at $350,000 each. The trust wrote that if the two parcels were combined by an ANR (approval-not-required) document of merger they would be developable and the assessor estimated their combined value at approximately $435,000.
Councilors debated the tradeoffs. Some members, including Councilor Callahan and Councilor Lazaro, said they opposed selling public land while the city holds substantial free cash balances and recommended using free cash or other city funds to pay for a Nexus study. Councilor Lemming and others said the Affordable Housing Trust had officially recommended the conveyance to fund the study and the council should support the trust’s recommendation.
Councilor Singh moved to table the conveyance and request additional review; Councilor Callahan seconded. The motion to table was put to a roll call and passed (six affirmative, none negative on the tabling motion). The matter is tabled pending follow-up with the Affordable Housing Trust and any additional analysis the council requests.
Ending: The conveyance was not approved; the council requested further review and deferred decision. The Affordable Housing Trust’s support for sale to fund a Nexus study is recorded; councilors signaled differing views about selling public land versus using free cash for one‑time studies.
