Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Zoning Edid topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves Docklands Innovation District zoning after debate over parking, height and timing
Summary
After debate and amendments referencing FAA and Massport height limits, the City Council voted 8-3 to adopt zoning creating the Everett Docklands Innovation District (EDID); a motion to postpone failed and reconsideration failed afterward.
The Everett City Council voted to adopt a zoning amendment creating the Everett Docklands Innovation District (EDID), after considering non-substantive language changes and holding a wide-ranging discussion about parking, master planning and how the district fits into the city's larger zoning recodification.
Councilors debated amendments and a postponement request before voting on the ordinance. The Council approved an amendment to cap maximum height by the lower of 370 feet or the height allowed under FAA and Massport critical-airspace maps; the amendment was adopted prior to the final vote on the ordinance.
Councilor Petroneo urged caution, saying the parcel-specific zoning should be considered with the broader city recodification and master plan. Planning Director Matthew Litanzi told the Council the Davis Companies and city staff collaborated on the language and that the recodification process was intended to run concurrently so that this district's zoning could roll into the full recodification later.
After discussion the Council rejected a motion to postpone and then voted in favor of the ordinance as amended (roll-call result reported as 8 yeas, 3 nays). A subsequent motion to reconsider failed (reconsideration vote recorded as unanimous ‘no's’ on the reconsideration roll call), leaving the ordinance enrolled and ordained.
What this means: The new EDID zoning creates the framework for Davis Companies'master plan submittals on the former Exxon property and sets parameters—among them the amended height provision—for later master-plan review by the Planning Board. Planning staff told the Council that a compliant master plan would still be subject to separate review and could be tweaked if the Council or Planning Board found it unsatisfactory.
Next steps: The ordinance was enrolled and ordained; planning staff and the developer will proceed with master-plan development and the Council asked for a recodification status and timeline to be provided to the Council by the administration in the coming weeks.
