First 100 days, GLX update, and big win for Chevalier!

I’m happy to announce that on Tuesday, March 22nd, the Medford City Council passed a recodification of our city’s Zoning Ordinance that has been decades in the making. The new Zoning Ordinance provides a strong foundation to move our community forward and ensure that our rules for planning and development are clear, understandable, and adaptable.

Our new zoning ordinance includes a number of my key priorities as Councilor, including:

• Short-term rental regulations
• Permitting accessory dwelling units
• Reducing parking minimums and incentivizing transit-oriented development
• Removing coded language from the zoning ordinance
• Performance design standards for multifamily and commercial developments
• Site plan review for large, tax-exempt institutions

This is just the first step. The Council plans to move into “Phase 2” of our zoning discussions, where we will update the city’s Zoning Map. We have requested funding from Mayor Lungo-Koehn to renew our contract with zoning legal counsel. This work would  align with the administration’s Comprehensive Plan, which should be completed later this year.

You can read Medford’s new Zoning Ordinance at this link, and I hope you will continue to be involved in this work as we move forward!

First 100 Days, GLX Nears Completion, Big Win for Chevalier

April 13th marks the first 100 days of our 2022-2023 term, and it’s been a whirlwind of meetings to advance key priorities. After several meetings, we are nearing completion on a review and update to the Rules of the Medford City Council. We will be modernizing our city’s elections office by voting to establish a Board of Election Commissioners in the weeks ahead. 

We have moved quickly to study Paid Family and Medical Leave for municipal employees and draft a Polystyrene Ban Ordinance, Tree Ordinance, Civilian Control Over Public Surveillance Ordinance, and more.

“On to Medford!” I was honored to attend the opening of the new Lechmere Station and Union Square branch of the MBTA Green Line! I can’t wait to see our Medford Branch open this summer! Thank you to the workers, elected officials, and especially advocates like our Medford GLX Working Group members Jim Silva and Laurel Ruma. As Senator Pat Jehlen noted, we need the State House to pass the tools Medford needs to prevent displacement, build more affordable housing, and make sure this project doesn’t come at the expense of housing justice.

Big win for Medford holding Wynn/Encore accountable and protecting the Chevalier Theater! Thank you to everyone who stood up for the Chevalier, especially the residents of the Friends of Chevalier and the Chevalier Commission that have worked so hard to restore this venue and make it the heart of Medford Square. This shows that local people can still win when a billion-dollar corporation tries to ignore the law and violate the legal agreements they signed to get their casino license!

Special thanks to all of the residents and community advocates who have made these successes possible. Together, we will continue to take bold action on policy priorities to build a Medford that works for all of us.

In Solidarity,
Zac Bears
Medford City Council Vice President