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Woburn council orders landlord to allow inspections and clean 4 Maywood Terrace after neighbors cite safety, rats and drug activity
Summary
Following repeated complaints from neighbors, the Woburn City Council directed the landlord of 4 Maywood Terrace to grant immediate access to city inspectors, remove debris (including a partially filled pool) and purchase secure trash receptacles; the council set a two‑week cleanup deadline and continued the hearing to Dec. 3.
Residents of Maywood Terrace told the Woburn City Council on Nov. 19 that problems at 4 Maywood Terrace — trash and rodent infestation, frequent emergency responses and fights, unsupervised children in the street, abandoned vehicles and an unsecured partially filled pool — have persisted for years. The council moved to send the landlord a certified communication requiring immediate remedial steps and to report back in two weeks; the public hearing was continued to Dec. 3.
Councilors framed the issue as an extended enforcement problem. The petition invoked Mass. Gen. Laws Chapter 139, section 1 (nuisances), and council members repeatedly said the city had expended sustained inspectional and police resources to address the property since 2017. Councilor Bowen and others requested that the building commissioner, the board of health and the fire chief provide detailed records of inspections and calls related to the property; the council also asked the treasurer‑collector to confirm tax status.
Multiple neighbors recounted incidents and safety concerns. Ben Kordick told the council he had recorded children running into the street and said the neighborhood had "watched in horror" while EMTs treated someone who had overdosed near the house; neighbors reported repeated police responses, uncontained trash attracting rodents, and a partly filled above‑ground pool without a protective fence. Neighbors pressed the council for immediate action to protect children and property values.
The landlord, Deborah McGlaughlin, acknowledged ownership and agreed at the meeting to allow city officials access to inspect both interior and exterior areas. The council then voted to send a certified communication to the landlord enumerating four requirements, all to be completed within two weeks: grant immediate access to the building commissioner, board of health and fire department (inside and outside); remove all debris in the backyard including the partially filled pool; remediate visible mold/mildew and other deterioration; and obtain or purchase adequate lidded trash receptacles sized to the property’s needs.
Councilors recorded that this is the second time in a long council career that a formal public‑nuisance matter has reached the floor, and several members urged the landlord to follow through promptly. The council also accepted the landlord’s offer to permit inspection and set a follow-up hearing for Dec. 3 to review progress. The motion and requirements will be sent to the landlord in a certified communication from the city clerk’s office.
What happens next: city inspectors (building, health, fire) will access the property, prepare baseline reports, and staff will return to the council on Dec. 3 to report whether the two‑week remediation was completed.
