Medford committee advances draft neighborhood-residential zoning plan, votes to downshift highest-density tier and boost outreach

Medford City’s Planning and Permitting Committee on Jan. 15 considered a draft overhaul of single-family zoning that would create a graded set of “neighborhood residential” districts and make accessory dwelling units (ADUs) allowed by right in many locations, then voted to downshift the proposal’s top density tier and to direct the chair to increase neighborhood outreach.

The draft presentation from Innos Associates laid out a five-step gradient from Neighborhood Residential 1 (NR1) through NR4 and a separate “urban residential” category, and proposed dimensional changes — smaller minimum lot sizes, adjusted setbacks, changes to maximum building coverage and story limits — aimed at reducing existing nonconformities and allowing modest increases in housing capacity in parts of North Medford, West Medford, Glenwood, Wellington and areas near transit hubs such as Ball Square and Medford/Tufts station. Paola Ramos Martinez, senior planner and urban designer with Innos Associates, emphasized that “This is a draft. This is nothing, decided,” and said the firm would return in two weeks with a revised map and standards after council feedback.

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