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Residents press for stronger housing tools, limits on hotels and better engagement
Summary
Public commenters urged the city to adopt enforceable housing tools (inclusionary zoning, affordability targets), questioned hotel proliferation under current zoning, and called for more education on how tourism and regional coordination affect housing and jobs.
Public comments during the workshop focused on housing, zoning and the need for stronger, actionable policies. Bart Lloyd urged adoption of inclusionary zoning and specific affordability requirements: "We should have an ordinance that says that any project over a certain size... should have 20% affordable housing," he said, recommending workforce housing defined at 60% of area median income.
Other residents questioned whether the comprehensive plan would meaningfully limit new hotels and asked how the plan’s land-use map would be used to constrain future zoning changes. Lydia Nagle asked directly whether business zones allow hotels by right; consultants and staff replied that the comprehensive plan sets future land use and guidance but that zoning changes are a separate legal process that follows the plan. Beth Cullen, a school committee member, urged that education and workforce development be emphasized in the economic chapter as part of long-term diversification. The consultants noted continued outreach (surveys, focus groups and the August open house) and acknowledged turnout is a cross-section rather than a full population sample.
