West Medford zoning raises questions with neighbors over loss of ‘village’ feel

If you have something to say about the proposed rezoning of West Medford and Medford Square, you’ll have your chance during a public Q&A scheduled for Thursday, May 8 at 6:30 in the Andrews Middle School cafetorium and on Zoom.

The Planning and Permitting Committee on Wednesday night referred the proposals, along with updates to the Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) guidelines, to the City Council for referral to the Community Development Board.

In a meeting that lasted about two and a-half hours on April 30, the committee reviewed the zoning proposals, took comments from the public, and had Innes Associates on hand to answer questions.

Concerns raised by local residents included possible loss of a sense of “village,” a vacant building the city can do little to change, and the increase in traffic that could be brought on by higher density.

A Johnson Avenue resident asked if access to the West Medford T station would be preserved.

Committee Chair Kit Collins said it would be preserved.

One Bower Street resident said the highest density in the zone should be set back, rather than be centered in the middle. He said the city will lose a sense of the area being a village.

Collins explained the placement of the higher density areas is somewhat constrained by the kind of housing that surrounds the square. Plus, she said there are different ways to create the sense of a pleasant village.

Another Bower Street resident expressed concern about a building in the area that has been vacant for an extended period of time.

Committee Vice Chair Matt Leming explained the building is privately owned and there is little the city can do about it right now. However, he said there is a proposal for an ordinance that would require owners of vacant buildings to pay more to keep them vacant or it could require them to install artworks to make the property more pleasing.

A Forest Street resident asked if traffic studies have been performed. The bottleneck going across the train tracks can be frustrating, he said, and asked if the higher density can be supported by the current infrastructure.

Collins explained that while traffic has been a consideration throughout the process of developing the zoning proposals, traffic studies would be performed during site plan reviews.