Joint Meeting of the City Council and Community Development Board 06-11-26

The City of Medford, Massachusetts held a special joint meeting of the City Council and Community Development Board on June 11, 2026, focused on the ongoing zoning update project for the Boston Avenue Neighborhood Corridor District. The meeting included extensive public comments addressing concerns about housing density, community character, parking, traffic, pest control, and the impact of student housing. Key procurement-related discussions centered on zoning amendments affecting land use, building heights, and boundaries within the district. The bodies debated specific use cases such as doggy daycares and neighborhood medical offices, ultimately voting to require special permits from the Community Development Board for doggy daycares and neighborhood medical offices in the corridor. Marijuana-related uses were voted to be disallowed pending further ordinance alignment. The meeting also addressed the potential inclusion of purpose-built student housing, with consensus to develop a detailed definition and guidelines for future consideration. Several motions passed to advance multiple zoning options for the Boston Avenue subdistricts (BA1, BA2, BA3) to be further studied and voted on at the next meeting on June 24, 2026. The meeting emphasized balancing development incentives with community concerns, including affordable housing requirements and preservation of neighborhood character.