On Monday night (1/22) the City Council voted down the creation of a new zoning district at the corner of Main and Moody Sts. To me this was a no brainer as the proposal was way out of proportion to the surrounding properties. However, if you think that the fight to keep an oversized development from that corner is over, you are mistaken. This was just round one.
Councillor Marchese stated that Northland Investment Corp. is a major property owner that is here to stay as he urged the council to reconsider the zoning request. His support of this high density development at the west end of his ward baffles me. Under construction at the other end of his ward, just over the line in Watertown, and never mentioned in the debate, is a condominium complex with more than 350 units. If Northland’s proposal had passed that would be an addition of over 700 units that would directly affect his ward.
Additionally, several of the coucillors who voted against the proposal said they would be willing to make adjustments to the current zoning. Of even greater concern are the 10 councillors who have made no statements on record regarding this proposal. As Councillors Logan and Tarallo eloquently stated many hours and a lot of effort was put into the creation of the current zoning structure. If we keep modifying it to maximize developers’ profit margin, what was the purpose of that effort?
It was a resounding “NO” by the community that ensured the zoning change did not pass. We must remain vigilant as the process proceeds. It will take a continued effort to ensure that Northland’s revised proposal is not looking to push the current limits higher.
Doug Rubin of Northland development stated that they would press on, and to find a way to make this development a reality. The best way to do that is to simply instruct the architect to look at the zoning laws and design a building that meets them.