Planning committee advances Salem Street corridor zoning update after presentation and public debate

The Medford City Council Planning & Permitting Committee on Dec. 11 advanced a draft zoning ordinance for the Salem Street Corridor, voting to report the proposal to the full City Council so it can be referred to the Community Development Board for public hearing and recommendation.

Consultants from Innis Associates presented a revised corridor proposal that would create four subdistricts—Mixed Use 1 (MX1), Mixed Use 2 (MX2), Commercial and Multiunit Residential—and adjust dimensional standards and permitted uses to align zoning with current uses. Paula Ramos Martinez, senior planner and designer with Innis Associates, said the project aims to "rightsiz[e] the zoning in some places and enhance it in others" by legalizing many existing ground-floor commercial uses that are currently nonconforming and by setting base heights, step-backs and minimum lot areas tailored to Salem Street’s character.

The draft generally proposes smaller minimum lot areas than the current code in parts of the corridor (proposed minimums as low as 3,000 square feet in some mixed and multiunit districts versus current multifamily minima of 10,000) and sets base heights in the range of about three to four stories, with additional stories available through incentive zoning. Incentives described by Emily Innes of Innis Associates include deeper affordable units (65% area median income), community amenities such as streetscape improvements, concealed or public parking, reduced ground-floor rents for local businesses and potential…