[0:00] Good night. Welcome to the

[0:05] joint special meeting of the City

[0:08] of Gloucester on September 22, no. 29

[0:10] . Joint meeting of

[0:17] Gloucester City Council and the

[0:19] Planning Board. This afternoon

[0:23] we will have a public hearing on

[0:25] the Compass Housing Plan. This

[0:29] public meeting of the City Council

[0:31] is recorded on Zoom with a link that is

[0:33] published in the agenda. If you are calling by

[0:35] phone, you can press *

[0:37] 9 to request the word. If you

[0:39] are viewing the meeting on a

[0:40] computer or device, there is a

[0:42] raised hand button you can

[0:44] tap or press to request to

[0:46] speak. Use any of these

[0:47] during oral communications and

[0:49] public hearings to ensure your

[0:51] voice is acknowledged. If

[0:53] technical difficulties arise and the

[0:55] Zoom link is interrupted during a

[0:57] hybrid in-person

[0:59] City Council meeting and there is a quorum, the meeting

[1:01] may continue after

[1:03] efforts have been made to

[1:04] restore the link. The minutes

[1:06] must record the

[1:07] interruption. The City of Gloucester

[1:11] has determined that no person should be

[1:14] denied equal treatment or

[1:16] opportunity because of ancestry,

[1:19] age, color, disability (including

[1:21] intellectual developmental disability

[1:24] ), family status,

[1:26] immigration status, gender identity or expression

[1:29] , military status,

[1:31] marital status, nationality, race, religion,

[1:34] sex, or sexual orientation. This afternoon

[1:40] we are joined by Ward

[1:42] One Councillor Scott Memhard, Councillor-at-Large

[1:45] Hannah Kimberley, Councillor-at-Large

[1:48] Jason Grow, Ward

[1:50] Three Councillor Marjorie Grace,

[1:53] Ward Two Councillor Dylan Benson, and

[1:55] Ward Four Councillor Francesco Majocha.

[2:01] Councilwoman Patty M. Page,

[2:03] District Five Councilman Scott M., and

[2:08] Council Vice President Shawn Nolan are

[2:10] not feeling well this afternoon. They may

[2:13] join us via Zoom

[2:15] , but that will be determined. We will

[2:19] salute the flag. Councilwoman

[2:21] Majocha will guide us in that.

[2:28] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

[2:30] United States of America and to the

[2:32] republic for which it stands, one nation

[2:35] under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[2:37] justice for all.

[2:46] Mayor Lundberg is also present

[2:47] . We have the Director of

[2:50] Community Development, Alex Kopleman.

[2:52] Online, we have our

[2:55] administrative director, Kelly Dolan. And I think that's it

[3:01] , and I'll hand it over to the Chairman

[3:03] of the Planning Board, Rick

[3:05] Noonan.

[3:07] Good night. I would like to open

[3:11] this afternoon's special meeting of the Planning Board, a joint meeting with the City Council.

[3:13] I'm Rick Noonan, the president.

[3:15] Vice President Jane Ramsden, Ray

[3:17] Catamountary to her immediate right,

[3:20] Steve Yost, David Rosen and Beverly

[3:22] Brookin. And for the record, I'd

[3:25] also like to acknowledge our Drew Tarr.

[3:30] And I would also like to acknowledge that

[3:32] we have the municipal secretary, Grace

[3:34] Poirier.

[3:35] Well, when I should say, sorry

[3:37] Tony, we have two people working

[3:39] remotely. We have Doug Cook and I think

[3:41] Shawn Henry too. Yes, thanks.

[3:45] Thank you.

[3:47] I will open the City Council's public hearing

[3:52] .

[3:56] The special planning board meeting

[3:58] of September 29,

[4:01] 2026.

[4:04] This public hearing is number

[4:07] 2026-023, regarding the consideration of the

[4:10] 2026 Housing Compass Plan. We

[4:15] will now make the presentation. Alex

[4:21] Koppelman.

[4:22] Thank you and good night. It's a pleasure to

[4:24] be with you. Alex Koppelman, I am

[4:26] the city's director of community development

[4:28] . I will give you a

[4:30] relatively

[4:32] brief overview of the planning process that went into

[4:34] creating the plan you are being

[4:36] asked to consider adopting

[4:38] tonight. This is the housing compass plan

[4:42] . It is a plan that

[4:44] proactively analyzes how we meet

[4:46] our housing needs as a

[4:48] community. It is written according to

[4:51] state standards for a

[4:54] housing production plan, but it

[4:55] is actually a local plan based

[4:58] on three principles. The first is to

[5:00] protect the Gloucester community

[5:02] from rising housing costs,

[5:04] the fear of having to leave Gloucester, or

[5:06] not knowing if there is a future home for

[5:08] you here. Preserve the housing we

[5:11] currently have that

[5:12] meets the needs of the

[5:14] community so that we do not lose it. And

[5:18] also to see where we can

[5:19] promote new housing options in

[5:21] places where it makes sense. This

[5:28] process began approximately

[5:30] a year ago. During the course of that

[5:32] year, we engaged the community

[5:34] in a variety of ways while

[5:36] working on an assessment of

[5:38] the city's housing needs,

[5:40] analyzing all the

[5:41] latest available data, and noting the

[5:43] limitations and opportunities for

[5:45] development. Thinking about where it makes

[5:47] sense to encourage

[5:49] housing growth. We have used all of that

[5:51] information to draft the plan

[5:53] before you, and you will be asked to

[5:55] consider voting to adopt it. If they

[5:57] adopt it, it will be sent to the state for

[5:59] approval. As I mentioned, it is

[6:01] written according to

[6:03] state standards for the housing production plan

[6:05] , which essentially

[6:06] gives us greater local control over the

[6:08] housing situation here and

[6:10] protects access to

[6:12] state subsidies. I want to thank the

[6:17] advisory committee for the plan. We had a great

[6:20] group of people representing

[6:22] service providers, the

[6:24] business community, the

[6:26] arts community, the older members of

[6:28] our community, as well as

[6:30] young people and many

[6:32] different stakeholders. It would not have been possible to

[6:34] involve these different people

[6:37] from the Gloucester community without this

[6:39] advisory committee, and they were a

[6:41] very important group of experts when it came to

[6:43] evaluating the recommendations. So,

[6:45] thank you for that. The components of the

[6:49] plan are an assessment of

[6:51] housing needs. All the

[6:53] latest data available to

[6:54] analyze our demographics,

[6:56] housing stock and the extent to which that

[6:58] housing stock meets the

[7:00] needs here in Gloucester.

[7:01] We evaluate the tools the

[7:03] city has to cover housing.

[7:05] Based on all of this, we set

[7:07] goals for the plan that also

[7:09] guide where we want to encourage

[7:11] housing growth, and then there are

[7:13] several policy recommendations.

[7:19] The assessment of

[7:20] housing needs is quite thorough. I'm not going to go into too much detail about it

[7:23] this

[7:25] afternoon. But I think the important thing to

[7:27] keep in mind here is that we analyzed

[7:29] the city's demographics. We have

[7:31] an aging community, but we

[7:33] also have many other people

[7:34] trying to do different things.

[7:36] Your housing goals and needs

[7:38] change as you get older. Therefore, if you

[7:40] belong to a larger family, you

[7:42] may be looking for a way

[7:44] to modify your home to suit

[7:45] your needs so you can stay

[7:47] there, or you may be looking for a

[7:49] downsizing option, something

[7:51] more manageable. For example, if you are

[7:53] a young person, you may be

[7:55] trying to buy your first home or

[7:57] perhaps you are looking to rent one,

[7:58] but this will vary as you

[8:00] get older. And these things are

[8:02] related. Therefore, if an

[8:04] older family cannot find a

[8:06] downsizing option, that means

[8:08] there are fewer large homes available

[8:10] for a younger family who may be

[8:12] looking for a larger home. So

[8:16] , what's the housing stock like

[8:18] here in the city? 56% of the

[8:20] homes here are single-family homes, so

[8:22] most are single-family homes.

[8:25] We have a good portion of

[8:27] smaller multi-family buildings with two to

[8:30] four units, and the rest of the

[8:32] housing stock is of a larger multi-family type

[8:34] with five or more units.

[8:37] Of the approximately 13,000 homes

[8:40] here, 8% are used seasonally,

[8:42] about 1,100 homes. Well, that puts

[8:45] a strain on the year-round housing stock

[8:47] for people who

[8:49] want to live here year-round or

[8:50] perhaps work here, but are having

[8:52] difficulty finding a home

[8:54] here. And that's because housing

[8:57] is very expensive. The average selling price

[9:00] of a single-family home in

[9:02] Gloucester today is $715,000.

[9:06] Therefore, considerable resources are needed

[9:08] to make a

[9:10] down payment, as well as a good income

[9:12] . And if 56% of the housing stock is

[9:15] single-family homes, that means many

[9:17] of them are quite difficult to

[9:19] access. There are fewer rental options

[9:22] and they are also expensive, and we have seen

[9:24] large income disparities

[9:26] between landlords and tenants here

[9:28] in Gloucester. The other finding I

[9:32] will point out here is that there is a

[9:33] mismatch between the size of

[9:35] available housing and the size of

[9:37] households in the city. Therefore,

[9:40] half of the housing stock has

[9:42] three or more bedrooms, but the

[9:44] average household size is about

[9:46] two people. Well, there's a slight

[9:48] mismatch there, and a greater

[9:50] variety of housing types and

[9:52] smaller housing options are needed.

[9:56] Housing affordability has a

[9:58] major impact on the community. 41% of

[10:01] households here spend more than a

[10:03] third of their income on

[10:05] housing costs. Therefore, that also

[10:08] affects our economy. You know,

[10:11] if you spend so much of your income on your

[10:13] housing costs, you can't take care of

[10:15] other things you need. You have less

[10:18] income to support our

[10:20] local economy or perhaps invest in a business.

[10:22] Furthermore, if it's a place where there's a

[10:24] shortage of supply and affordable options

[10:27] , you might not be able to live here

[10:29] even if you work here, and that puts more

[10:31] pressure on traffic and all that.

[10:34] In addition, we have more people who

[10:36] can live in our community,

[10:38] which means we have a

[10:41] stronger market to support our

[10:42] businesses here. There is a clear lack of

[10:46] affordable housing supply in Foster,

[10:48] as in the entire region. For every six

[10:51] households that are eligible for

[10:53] affordable housing, there is only one unit

[10:55] in the city. Well, we took a look

[11:02] at all that data, but the numbers

[11:05] don't tell us much. We placed a lot of emphasis

[11:07] on community participation in

[11:08] this plan to truly understand

[11:12] people's housing needs and goals.

[11:13] We take an approach of meeting

[11:15] people where they are by

[11:17] organizing pop-up events.

[11:19] For example, summer concert series

[11:21] , Halloween parties, and

[11:23] neighborhood festivals that were held.

[11:26] All these things, you know, are

[11:27] events that the community already attends and

[11:29] that allow you to get a

[11:31] more realistic representative sample of the

[11:33] community. So we wanted to try to

[11:35] interact with people in that environment

[11:37] . We also organize

[11:39] focus groups with people from the

[11:41] arts community, the business community, and

[11:43] older people to sit down and have

[11:45] quality conversations with them

[11:47] about the housing challenges they

[11:49] face and what the city

[11:51] could do to address them.

[11:53] We celebrate two great

[11:55] traditional forums. One focused on where to

[11:58] encourage housing growth,

[12:00] and the other on publishing the draft

[12:02] plan and debating its

[12:04] policy recommendations. Both events had a good

[12:06] turnout, with about 100 people

[12:08] present. We conducted a survey that

[12:12] we promoted at our

[12:13] launch events for about

[12:16] six months, in which we gathered

[12:18] extensive public information that

[12:20] ultimately shaped the

[12:21] plan's recommendations. We also

[12:24] partnered with 1623 Studios to create

[12:27] a video summarizing

[12:29] the city's housing needs and produce

[12:30] content from it to direct

[12:33] people to the plan's website and

[12:35] survey. After the plan

[12:37] was released as a draft, we had a

[12:39] 30-day public comment period

[12:41] and then met with the

[12:45] Affordable Housing Trust Planning Board and the

[12:48] City Council Planning Development Subcommittee to gather further

[12:50] feedback and ensure that the

[12:52] recommendations reflected what the

[12:54] community shared with us and that

[12:56] we could refine them appropriately.

[13:01] Here is a chart that gives you a

[13:03] small breakdown of the different

[13:05] events we held and how many

[13:06] people attended. I just want

[13:09] to emphasize again that we speak to

[13:11] specific areas of the community that

[13:13] , as you know, may not participate in a

[13:16] traditional way. We held

[13:18] focus groups at the senior center

[13:20] , Gloucester High School,

[13:21] and Sawyer Public Library

[13:24] . We had

[13:26] trusted members of the Brazilian community

[13:28] hold a focus group with these

[13:29] people to share their

[13:31] housing needs. We met with

[13:33] major employers in Gloucester and they

[13:35] told us that housing has a

[13:37] significant impact on

[13:38] employee recruitment and retention

[13:40] . Therefore, I believe we did a

[13:42] good job covering all the

[13:44] different areas that make

[13:46] Gloucester a special place. In

[13:48] summary, we involved more than 600

[13:50] people. So, based on

[13:55] all that data and

[13:57] community participation, we established four

[13:59] objectives for the plan. The first is to

[14:01] support housing that meets the

[14:03] needs of an

[14:04] aging population. It is clear that Gloucester

[14:07] has an aging population and that is going

[14:09] to continue. So we really

[14:12] took that into account when developing the

[14:14] strategies. But

[14:17] a greater variety of

[14:18] housing options is also needed in general. And the more

[14:20] variety we have, the

[14:22] more smaller types of housing we can

[14:24] create, the more possibilities we will have to

[14:26] create affordable rental and home ownership options

[14:28] .

[14:31] Affordability is an important area of

[14:34] focus for the plan, but

[14:35] specifically deep levels of

[14:37] affordability. Therefore, many of

[14:40] the affordable homes being created

[14:42] do not reach the income levels of

[14:44] Gloucester. Therefore, we are

[14:46] focusing on strategies to increase

[14:48] the affordability of

[14:50] incoming affordable housing units. To

[14:53] achieve this, we must also focus

[14:54] on developing our local capacity.

[14:57] Those are the four objectives of the plan.

[15:00] This is a chart showing

[15:02] policy recommendations. You will see

[15:05] these icons at the top.

[15:08] This is the first objective related

[15:09] to the aging community. This is

[15:12] about various housing options.

[15:14] This is about affordability. And this is

[15:16] the goal of

[15:17] capacity building. If you see a

[15:19] check mark next to any of

[15:21] these goals, it means that the

[15:23] strategy is making progress on that

[15:24] goal or on several goals. If you see

[15:27] a star next to a strategy, it

[15:29] means it's a

[15:31] priority recommendation, and

[15:33] priority recommendations are those we believe would have

[15:35] the greatest impact and that

[15:37] we'd like to implement as soon as

[15:38] possible. I have thoroughly discussed

[15:42] these strategies with both the

[15:44] planning board and the

[15:46] city council, so now I'm going to

[15:47] take it to a higher level. If

[15:49] there is anything you would like to analyze in

[15:51] depth or have

[15:52] questions about, please let me know and we will

[15:54] do it. But the first strategy,

[15:57] which is to analyze all of this

[15:59] anyway, is to find ways to protect the

[16:01] community. The best way to do this

[16:03] is to put down roots in the community and

[16:05] expand

[16:07] first-time home buying and other

[16:08] home ownership options. The first

[16:10] recommendation is to increase the amount

[16:12] of federal assistance the

[16:14] city offers to

[16:16] first-time homebuyers and to look for other ways

[16:18] to support community ownership. The

[16:22] second set of recommendations are

[16:24] ways to protect

[16:26] vulnerable tenants. We have many people

[16:28] who shared their concerns

[16:31] about the cost of housing, you know

[16:33] , about whether they will be able to stay here.

[16:35] So, we have some

[16:37] policy recommendations to

[16:39] protect them. And then, the third

[16:41] set of recommendations are ways

[16:43] to create better cohesion among the

[16:45] cultural activities that make

[16:48] Gloucester a rich cultural center and a great

[16:50] place to live. The second set

[16:56] of recommendations revolves around the

[16:58] principle of preservation, that is,

[17:00] making sure we preserve the housing we

[17:02] have now that meets the

[17:05] needs of the community. The first

[17:07] set of recommendations are ways

[17:10] to avoid large

[17:11] rent increases for people living in

[17:13] affordable housing, to prevent them from having to

[17:15] leave their homes. The

[17:20] second set of recommendations

[17:22] involves monitoring our

[17:24] short-term rental data. We have

[17:27] new data from a record we

[17:29] recently published online.

[17:31] We want to monitor them in order to try to

[17:33] mitigate the pressure on the

[17:35] permanent housing stock. Another way to

[17:39] do this could be to incentivize

[17:41] landlords to rent to

[17:42] permanent residents or people who

[17:44] work in a local business in

[17:46] Gloucester. And then we have some

[17:51] recommendations on increasing

[17:53] capacity and ensuring that

[17:54] new housing is affordable and

[17:58] accessible for

[18:00] Gloucester households. The latest set of

[18:06] recommendations deals with how to

[18:08] produce new housing in

[18:09] locations that make sense. I believe the

[18:12] key recommendation here is to

[18:14] consider the Railroad Ave area and

[18:16] utilize a smart

[18:17] growth zoning overlay

[18:19] established through

[18:21] Chapter 40R to generate

[18:23] housing options in a location that has

[18:25] infrastructure, access to

[18:27] public transportation, access to services, and resources

[18:29] . We also know that, given that

[18:31] Shaw's grocery store has been

[18:34] empty for the past year, it doesn't

[18:36] appear that the market can accommodate a large

[18:38] supermarket there. But perhaps, by

[18:40] facilitating some housing in the area

[18:43] with people living on-site, a

[18:45] smaller grocery store with

[18:47] living quarters above could be more

[18:49] financially viable. The other

[18:53] zoning recommendations here

[18:55] essentially attempt to facilitate the

[18:57] implementation of small

[19:00] housing options such as accessory dwelling units

[19:02] , three-family homes, and

[19:04] clustered cottages in

[19:06] Gloucester neighborhoods. And none of these

[19:09] recommendations are

[19:10] general zoning changes. They are all

[19:13] targeted because Gloucester has

[19:14] very particular development restrictions

[19:16] . So, whenever we

[19:17] want to adopt a

[19:19] zoning policy, I think we really

[19:21] need to consider the area we're

[19:22] considering. Well, none of these

[19:24] things are going to unlock

[19:26] overall housing development, but there needs to be

[19:28] a process for analyzing where it makes

[19:30] sense to try to implement these

[19:32] small, affordable housing options

[19:33] . The

[19:36] remaining recommendations in the products section

[19:38] are about financing

[19:40] affordable housing. Well, ways to finance

[19:43] more affordable housing, and

[19:45] we also get a lot of feedback from

[19:47] people about how they would like to

[19:49] create an accessory dwelling unit

[19:51] or improve their own existing property

[19:53] . The zoning is quite good in

[19:55] that respect. I mean, we allow

[19:57] accessory dwelling units by

[19:59] right in all

[20:00] residential zones. Well, the main

[20:02] barrier is financial. It is difficult

[20:04] to finance an accessory dwelling unit

[20:06] . Well, we have proposed

[20:08] establishing a loan product that would be

[20:10] obtained from the Affordable Housing

[20:12] Trust for eligible landlords who

[20:14] are interested in

[20:16] creating accessory housing units.

[20:19] The final policy points here

[20:21] are basically advocacy against the

[20:23] state to try to expand our

[20:25] options in terms of

[20:27] available grants. When we think about where

[20:33] Gloucester is, it's quite

[20:34] complicated. As I mentioned before, there are

[20:37] many development limitations,

[20:39] from protected open spaces

[20:42] to wetlands and flood-prone areas

[20:44] , places that do not have

[20:46] municipal sewerage. Therefore, it

[20:49] is difficult to find places that encourage

[20:51] housing growth. We have

[20:54] consolidated all

[20:56] development limitations in the dark blue areas of

[20:58] this map. White areas are

[21:00] places where there may be some

[21:02] opportunity to encourage

[21:04] housing growth.

[21:09] We generally consider the recommendations that

[21:11] demarcate between the

[21:12] outlying neighborhoods and the center of Gloucester.

[21:16] Many of Gloucester's neighborhoods

[21:18] do not have sewer systems. That means

[21:20] development there must be based on

[21:22] septic tanks. There are also many

[21:24] other environmental considerations that

[21:26] must be taken into account. In reality, they

[21:28] are not capable of supporting

[21:30] larger multi-family buildings. But they

[21:33] can play a key role in

[21:35] expanding housing options

[21:37] in a way that makes sense with the

[21:39] terrain conditions. Therefore,

[21:41] we are focusing on expanding the

[21:42] supply of affordable housing in

[21:44] Gloucester's neighborhoods.

[21:46] Smaller housing types, such as

[21:48] accessory dwelling units, cabins, and

[21:50] three-family buildings. These are

[21:53] types of housing that are not

[21:55] subject to deed restrictions,

[21:57] but are more easily accessible because they

[21:59] can create a rental option or

[22:01] can create an opportunity to buy

[22:03] a condominium instead of buying a

[22:05] large single-family home. That will be

[22:09] easier to do. One of the ways this

[22:12] could be implemented is through

[22:14] a 40Y Initial Housing District

[22:16] . It is a model state zoning

[22:18] that would be adopted at the local level

[22:20] to basically encourage smaller types of

[22:22] housing that could

[22:24] be starter homes. And the state would

[22:26] reward the city for adopting

[22:28] that zoning with

[22:29] incentive payments to our general fund. The

[22:33] other way we are considering

[22:35] expanding the supply of

[22:36] affordable housing in Gloucester's neighborhoods

[22:38] is, again, to try to ease that

[22:40] financial barrier. I mentioned that the

[22:42] affordable housing trust is

[22:44] basically considering a

[22:46] financial product to help people

[22:48] create ADUs and other types of

[22:50] small housing. The state also

[22:54] recently created an incentive program

[22:56] for ADUs that we would like to advertise

[22:58] on the city's website.

[23:01] Basically, this provides

[23:03] free technical assistance to

[23:05] homeowners who are interested in

[23:07] creating an ADU, but who want to know

[23:10] what their options are and what they

[23:11] might look like before going too far

[23:14] . In the city center, we have

[23:22] identified sites of opportunity.

[23:24] As I mentioned, this is a plan written

[23:27] according to state standards, so

[23:29] listing the sites

[23:31] of opportunity is required. An opportunity site

[23:34] is essentially a place where the

[23:36] city says we would like to encourage

[23:38] affordable housing here. You'll notice

[23:42] that all of these sites are

[23:43] privately owned. Therefore, what happens in

[23:46] them depends entirely on the

[23:48] private owner. Our role as a

[23:51] city is to consider ways to

[23:52] encourage them to create affordable housing

[23:54] and housing that meets the

[23:56] needs of the community. So,

[23:58] you can do it through

[24:00] zoning, you can do it through

[24:02] financial incentives, through

[24:04] programs and partnerships. Therefore,

[24:07] for several of the sites here,

[24:09] we suggest the use of a smart

[24:11] growth overlap zone

[24:12] to facilitate the

[24:14] development of affordable housing. The

[24:21] smart growth overlap zone is established through

[24:23] Chapter 40R, so it is a

[24:25] state template zoning.

[24:27] But it is developed, adopted, and controlled

[24:29] locally. It just needs to be written

[24:32] according to the standards set by the

[24:34] state based on proximity to

[24:36] public transport and things like that. It is

[24:39] an overlap zone, so it

[24:41] overlaps with the

[24:43] existing zoning and essentially gives the

[24:45] owner the option of using either the

[24:47] existing zoning or the

[24:49] overlap zone. These work best

[24:52] when you have a willing development partner

[24:54] , so you exchange ideas

[24:56] with them and develop the zoning

[24:58] in a way that makes sense and

[25:00] is based on community input.

[25:06] Dimensional and design standards can be established to

[25:07] ensure that zoning will

[25:09] result in housing that is appropriate

[25:11] for the location being

[25:13] considered. And when that process is

[25:16] complete, development is permitted

[25:18] by law. Basically,

[25:22] city councils used to participate in a

[25:24] special permitting process. I would

[25:27] think so. You are proactively doing that

[25:29] process in

[25:31] advance. But you still have the

[25:33] ability to regulate and ensure that

[25:35] the development looks the way

[25:37] you want and meets the standards.

[25:41] Why consider a

[25:42] smart growth zone? The state

[25:45] offers really good incentives for

[25:47] that. Basically, the state recognizes

[25:52] that the entire region is in a

[25:54] housing crisis and wants to reward

[25:57] municipalities that help address that

[25:59] situation. Therefore,

[26:02] it will provide a

[26:04] one-time incentive payment for the number of

[26:06] housing units allowed under the

[26:08] zoning. That is the difference

[26:10] between the base zoning and what is

[26:11] allowed in the overlap zone.

[26:13] For example, if up to 20 units were allowed

[26:16] , the state would provide

[26:18] the city with $10,000. That would go into the

[26:21] city's general fund. But

[26:23] then, once the building permits were issued

[26:26] , the city would receive an

[26:28] additional $3,000 per unit. If

[26:32] any school-age children move into

[26:34] the newly constructed housing, the state

[26:36] reimburses their tuition through the

[26:38] Chapter 40S program. This is an

[26:45] overview of the process and

[26:47] recommendations. This is a

[26:49] proactive plan. Its aim is to protect

[26:52] the community here, ensuring

[26:54] that future generations can

[26:56] continue to call Gloucester home.

[26:58] We are preserving the housing we

[27:00] currently have that meets

[27:02] the needs of the community. And we

[27:03] are also

[27:05] carefully analyzing where we want to encourage

[27:06] the production of new homes.

[27:10] This is a plan that is based on a year

[27:12] of community participation and

[27:14] the latest available data. It is not

[27:18] one that obliges the city to

[27:20] implement all the recommendations.

[27:23] It is a roadmap for the city to

[27:25] examine and decide what to implement.

[27:29] I say that almost all of these

[27:30] recommendations, when implemented,

[27:33] would involve a public process with the

[27:35] community to determine the details.

[27:40] This is the roadmap, but it's up

[27:42] to the city to implement it and do so

[27:44] with the community. Okay, with that,

[27:47] I'll ask if there are any questions.

[27:50] The questions will come at the end,

[27:52] after the audience. So, does

[27:56] anyone want to speak in favor? I'll give

[28:05] the mayor a little more time, but

[28:07] everyone else will have a

[28:09] 3-minute limit.

[28:09] 3 minutes will be enough for the

[28:11] mayor. Thank you. I am Paul Lundberg.

[28:17] I am the mayor of Gloucester and I had a

[28:19] unique experience coming into

[28:21] city government through the

[28:23] planning board. I was

[28:27] on the planning board for 6 years and

[28:29] learned a lot about how this is done

[28:31] from a practical point of view, so

[28:33] I have a pretty good idea of

[28:36] what might work. And first I

[28:40] want to thank the advisory committee that

[28:42] created and helped create this plan. They

[28:46] are all volunteer citizens and did

[28:48] an excellent job, as you can see.

[28:50] It's very comprehensive. I would also like to

[28:54] thank both the

[28:55] planning board and the city council

[28:57] because they have both been present

[28:59] every step of the way in one way or

[29:01] another. And that's what makes this

[29:05] plan better than if it had been created

[29:07] as a kind of standard plan.

[29:11] So we've reached a point where we

[29:13] really have something of great

[29:14] value. It's very dynamic, as Alex said

[29:19] . And as you know, we all know that

[29:23] increasing housing, and in particular

[29:25] affordable housing, is not something

[29:27] we can do on our own. There are hundreds

[29:30] of little things that need to go together.

[29:34] And it requires a lot of processing, but if

[29:36] we have a goal like the one set out

[29:39] in this plan, that gives us a guide.

[29:43] Therefore, I feel very encouraged to

[29:45] have been a part of this along the

[29:47] way. I want to thank everyone

[29:50] who has been a part of this. And

[29:53] I hope that both the

[29:54] planning board and the city council

[29:56] can adopt this plan because it's

[29:58] really going to be a

[29:59] useful tool for Gloucester. Thank you.

[30:03] We're going to ask people in the

[30:06] audience to speak in favor. In

[30:10] public, and then we'll talk online.

[30:11] Go ahead, come closer to the microphone.

[30:14] Name and address to be recorded in the

[30:16] minutes, please. Yes. Someone help bring that down

[30:22] . Very good. I just

[30:27] want to say that. Okay. I am Laura

[30:30] Bacchi. I live in the city center,

[30:33] on Tydedale Avenue. And I think the

[30:39] compact housing plan is very well

[30:41] thought out and executed, and I think

[30:43] everyone did a fantastic job with

[30:45] it. But I am in favor.

[30:52] One thing worries me, and that is what Avenue really is

[30:54] . I believe there has

[30:59] been a market there for almost 45 years. If not more, then

[31:02] more. And that has become part

[31:06] of the fabric of the community and now there is no

[31:08] market there, and I know there is a

[31:10] plan to create a

[31:11] market for housing. My concern is that this will not become

[31:16] mandatory. Let it

[31:20] become flexible and simply be

[31:22] another retail business instead of a

[31:24] market, a supermarket, a

[31:26] grocery store, you know, a

[31:29] good-sized grocery store. And if that

[31:32] were the case, I wouldn't support it. But I

[31:36] think it has to be mandatory.

[31:38] It has to be something unchangeable. It

[31:41] really needs to be some kind of

[31:43] market where people can get

[31:45] basic products, where people

[31:47] can get the food they

[31:49] need. You know, for everyday use.

[31:53] Not a specialty store, but a

[31:55] regular market. I know, I mean,

[31:59] the financial circumstances in

[32:02] the climate we live in may not

[32:04] be the best, but I think there has to be a

[32:06] will and drive to

[32:08] work on it. For that to happen.

[32:13] Especially for the people you know

[32:15] , the people who live within, you

[32:17] know, 3 miles of downtown. You know,

[32:20] at least. So, thank you.

[32:24] so much.

[32:41] Hello everyone. I am Diana Fey. At

[32:44] 3 Barbary Lane. I am addressing you tonight

[32:50] in my capacity as Chairman of the

[32:52] Affordable Housing Trust and as a member

[32:54] of the Advisory Committee that helped guide

[32:56] the development of Housing Compass. While

[33:02] these observations are my own, the

[33:04] Affordable Housing Trust considered the

[33:06] Housing Compass Plan. On

[33:10] September 21, the Trust voted

[33:12] unanimously to affirm that the Gloucester

[33:15] Affordable Housing Trust fully and

[33:17] firmly supports Gloucester's Housing Compass Plan 2026

[33:20] . As outlined in the

[33:23] Housing Compass Plan,

[33:25] Gloucester's Affordable Housing Trust has

[33:27] become an

[33:28] important tool for promoting the production

[33:30] and preservation of affordable housing

[33:32] . Throughout the plan, the Trust is identified

[33:35] as a key partner in

[33:37] advancing several of its priorities and

[33:39] strategies. That's appropriate. The

[33:42] Trust was established precisely

[33:44] for this purpose, to help the

[33:46] city respond to its

[33:48] affordable housing needs and to provide

[33:50] flexible municipal resources to

[33:52] create and preserve affordable housing.

[33:56] We understand that supporting Housing Compass

[33:58] means more than just backing a plan. It

[34:01] means accepting the responsibility to

[34:03] help implement it. The plan gives

[34:06] the Trust something we need:

[34:08] a community-informed assessment

[34:09] of our current

[34:11] housing needs and a set

[34:13] of municipal priorities to help

[34:15] guide our directions. Several of

[34:18] the strategies identified in

[34:19] Housing Compass will require the

[34:21] Trust to do more than simply respond to

[34:23] funding requests as they

[34:24] come in. They envision a

[34:26] Trust that can help initiate

[34:28] programs, research new

[34:30] housing tools, establish

[34:32] funding priorities,

[34:34] participate in partnerships, and help

[34:36] strategies move from an

[34:38] adopted plan to implementation. In fact

[34:40] , some of that work has already begun. The

[34:43] Trust is currently analyzing

[34:45] methods used by other communities

[34:47] in Massachusetts, such as

[34:49] accessory housing unit programs,

[34:51] purchase reduction programs, and incentives

[34:53] to reintegrate properties into the

[34:55] annual rental market. Our aim

[34:58] is not simply to copy what

[35:00] other communities are doing, but to

[35:02] understand what works, how

[35:04] these programs are managed, how much they

[35:06] cost, and whether they can be

[35:08] responsibly adapted in Gloucester. That

[35:11] is the type of work that Housing

[35:12] Compass is asking the Trust to

[35:14] do. Adopting Housing Compass will

[35:16] not mean that all

[35:18] strategies in the plan will be automatically approved or

[35:20] funded. Individual programs and

[35:22] proposals

[35:23] 20 seconds.

[35:25] OK. Individual programs and proposals will

[35:28] continue to require

[35:30] research, public debate and

[35:32] appropriate approvals, and in many

[35:34] cases future board decisions. I

[35:40] will end here and give my

[35:42] comments and encourage everyone

[35:44] present to support and vote in favor of

[35:46] this plan. Thank you.

[35:50] Anyone else want to come up to the podium,

[35:57] please?

[36:03] Good evening everyone. I am Debbie

[36:05] Frontiero. 216 Washington Street. I have

[36:12] lived in Gloucester all my life,

[36:14] except for a few years in my youth

[36:16] when I moved away and came back, but this is

[36:19] the city I love. First, I want

[36:25] to express my gratitude to Alex, but

[36:27] to the entire team, to all of you. This

[36:31] , as I reviewed the plan, is

[36:33] extremely comprehensive. He is

[36:36] extremely thoughtful. And even if

[36:41] you only focus on the three objectives:

[36:43] protect, preserve, and produce. I think there's

[36:47] something about them that everyone

[36:49] in the city can participate in.

[36:52] We want to protect our city.

[36:54] We want to preserve the heritage we

[36:56] have. But we want to produce

[36:59] enough housing so that we can

[37:00] remain united as a community. Well

[37:05] , it was, and when it happened, in a couple

[37:08] of places it said "in the

[37:10] right places." And that left the door

[37:14] open to public commentary.

[37:16] The opportunity for the public to

[37:18] make comments was incredible. And

[37:22] if someone feels they were left out of

[37:24] the process, I think it's because they didn't

[37:26] apply for the process because there were

[37:28] plenty of opportunities to do so. I

[37:34] love the fact that the plan has

[37:36] focused on actually considering the

[37:38] real construction sites. It's not that

[37:41] we could necessarily do

[37:43] anything at those sites because they are

[37:45] privately owned, but it got to that

[37:47] level of detail. Besides checking

[37:50] permits and zoning and all

[37:53] that boring stuff you guys

[37:55] spend so much time on, I just want to

[37:57] say that I work with Housing for All

[37:59] Gloucester. And as such, we pay close

[38:02] attention to what's happening in the

[38:04] housing sector here in the city.

[38:08] And I wholeheartedly support this plan. I really

[38:12] do it with enthusiasm. Okay, thanks.

[38:16] Thank you.

[38:28] Hello, Henry Harrison, 49 Summer Street.

[38:32] I am a senior student at

[38:34] Gloucester High School. And as Dev said,

[38:36] she lived in Gloucester all her life,

[38:39] except for a few years when she left. I had

[38:43] always thought of my

[38:45] life plan as growing up here in Gloucester,

[38:47] exploring the world, working, getting

[38:49] married, and then coming back home to raise

[38:51] my family here in Gloucester. And that's getting harder and harder

[38:56] , as Alex has just demonstrated.

[38:59] I can see it in my classmates at The

[39:01] Blueport and The Lobster who want

[39:03] to stay, who are products of

[39:04] Gloucester Institute but are

[39:06] forced to move away. I can see it in my

[39:08] football coaches, who are

[39:09] recent graduates of

[39:11] Gloucester High School and can't stay. Well,

[39:15] I speak for all the

[39:19] Gloucester High School students I've spoken to about

[39:21] this plan when I say that I

[39:23] fully support the proactive and

[39:25] flexible nature of this plan, and that

[39:27] real action is needed, and I'm

[39:30] glad that this plan exemplifies that so

[39:32] well. So, thank you. Thank you.

[39:47] Bonnie Bifendegous, 61 Fernald Street.

[39:51] I am speaking in favor of the plan. I think it's

[39:52] really great. I want to

[39:54] thank everyone who

[39:55] participated in its creation. Alex has

[39:58] done a fabulous job bringing

[40:00] everyone together and putting the information, the

[40:02] basic facts, into the report. I think it's

[40:07] very forward-looking, which is

[40:09] great. It is a plan that allows for

[40:13] production. It does not produce housing; It makes it

[40:16] possible to build and establishes what

[40:18] we need to enable. No, you know, the

[40:21] city doesn't have millions and millions of

[40:24] dollars to waste (I wish it did

[40:26] ) on public housing or anything

[40:28] like that. But we can make it possible

[40:30] for other people to build, and

[40:32] we have inclusive housing ordinances

[40:34] , which will help increase the

[40:36] number of affordable homes in

[40:38] Gloucester. The affordable housing trust

[40:43] is trying to encourage the

[40:45] construction of this type of

[40:47] housing at 60% of the AMI instead of

[40:50] 80%, which is the bare minimum.

[40:54] The plan talks about building in the

[40:56] right places. If we look at the

[40:58] population of Gloucester, it has

[41:00] remained fairly stable for quite some

[41:01] time. Similarly, if

[41:03] we look at the actual construction

[41:05] that has taken place during the same

[41:07] period, we can see that

[41:09] much more has been built outside the

[41:11] city center. So, although our

[41:13] population is the same, the population

[41:15] of the center has been greatly reduced.

[41:18] And that's almost certainly a

[41:20] major factor in why Main Street has

[41:22] problems, why there's less

[41:24] parking, because people who go

[41:26] downtown drive. That's why there's more

[41:28] traffic, again, for the same reason

[41:30] : people are driving. Half of

[41:34] Gloucester's working population,

[41:36] sorry, I'm misspoken.

[41:40] Approximately half of the

[41:42] population that works in Gloucester

[41:46] lives outside of Gloucester. Therefore,

[41:48] they drive and they also park. And this is

[41:50] a perennial problem, but the

[41:52] harder we make it for people to

[41:54] live here by restricting

[41:56] housing production, the more traffic

[41:58] and parking problems

[42:00] we will see. That's why it's great that

[42:02] things like the 40R are being considered. It

[42:05] would be fantastic if something were done

[42:07] on Railroad Avenue. I'm sure it would be

[42:09] amazing if we could put

[42:11] a supermarket there. I know it's very

[42:14] difficult to dictate what kind of

[42:16] business activity takes place once you

[42:18] commit to it being commercial. I don't

[42:20] think it's always easy to say, "

[42:22] Well, you have to be a

[42:24] record store or a library or, you know, a

[42:26] video rental store or whatever." I'm

[42:28] getting old. Anyway,

[42:31] thank you very much and thanks again to Alex, and

[42:34] I hope we can approve this and

[42:36] support it and make things happen.

[42:40] Thank you. Is there anyone else in the room

[42:46] before I address the people

[42:48] who are online? Hello, Valerie

[42:52] Nelson.

[43:02] Okay, I think I'm here now.

[43:04] Thank you so much.

[43:05] Okay, that's it...That's good. We can

[43:08] listen to

[43:09] Valerie Nelson and I live at 77

[43:11] Sunset Point Road in Lanesville. I took

[43:14] notes and realized that it would take me

[43:16] too long to talk about

[43:18] them and that you, Counselor Gross, would

[43:21] interrupt me after 3 minutes.

[43:23] Well, that's all. I will send

[43:27] everyone the full scope of

[43:29] the details I wrote later, but I want to

[43:31] add my support for the approval

[43:33] of the Housing Production Plan and

[43:36] mention that I found a

[43:38] previous dialogue in a meeting between all of

[43:40] you at the City Council and Alex,

[43:42] which was extraordinarily helpful in

[43:44] understanding the city's promising commitments

[43:46] to move forward with the

[43:48] implementation of this plan. And I thought

[43:53] all the back-and-forth questions

[43:55] , thank you for all of that, were quite

[43:58] substantial and helpful. First,

[44:03] you all recognize the incredible

[44:05] difficulty of bridging the gap between the

[44:07] public and the great complexity of

[44:09] technical planning and

[44:11] financial details that are difficult

[44:13] for the typical resident to understand.

[44:17] I think that even includes

[44:18] tonight's presentation. So,

[44:21] in a variety of

[44:24] Lanesville Community Center and

[44:25] Downtown Neighborhood Association meetings that I

[44:28] convened or attended,

[44:29] residents grappled with a very

[44:32] long list of possible strategies and

[44:33] recommendations in this extensive plan and

[44:36] how to make sense of it. I want to report

[44:42] that a fairly new idea in

[44:44] Lanesville is that we could finally

[44:46] move away from affordable housing

[44:48] because many current and

[44:50] older homeowners want to create opportunities for

[44:52] their children and grandchildren to live

[44:54] here. And many of them are already

[45:01] taking steps on their own

[45:02] properties to do it again for

[45:05] their children and grandchildren and also, as I

[45:07] would say, for themselves as elderly people.

[45:13] These are some of the most

[45:14] important points from your previous and productive

[45:16] meeting as an advisor with Alex. Alex

[45:24] said that it is not productive to spend a lot of

[45:26] time on the problems of non-

[45:29] conforming batches, but that focusing on opportunities should be a

[45:31] priority in the future

[45:33] . I'm sure the

[45:36] residents of Lanesville said so at

[45:38] the meetings. And two, in Shaw's Plaza,

[45:42] the most important thing,

[45:43] 20 seconds away, Val. It

[45:45] 's in the center. I'll go over all of that

[45:47] in some detail when I send it to you,

[45:50] and there are definitely elements missing from

[45:52] the plan. One is the high cost of the

[45:54] ADUs. Please consider the

[45:56] cost reductions of

[45:58] modular and prefabricated homes and the

[46:00] chronic concerns about

[46:02] permits for very large new homes

[46:04] and demolitions along the coast and

[46:06] for the views from here. Did I do it

[46:09] , Tony?

[46:11] Yes, thanks.

[46:13] I will send the detailed notes.

[46:15] Thank you so much.

[46:21] Now we have Peggy Haggerty Stack.

[46:29] Can you hear me? Here I am. Okay. Yes,

[46:32] thanks. Hello, my name is Peggy

[46:34] Haggerty Stack. I am the

[46:36] CEO of Action Inc. and the office

[46:39] is located at 180 Main Street in

[46:41] downtown Gloucester. As a member of the

[46:44] Gloucester Housing Compass Advisory Committee

[46:46] , I obviously fully support the

[46:48] Gloucester Housing Compass Plan. Alex and

[46:53] his team and the MAPC team

[46:55] worked together with us and other

[46:57] community members to create a

[46:59] plan for the future of housing in

[47:01] Gloucester. And I really wanted to

[47:04] applaud the community's effort to get involved

[47:06] . I thought it was

[47:09] excellent and gave people many

[47:11] ways to find out what was

[47:13] happening and express their thoughts about it

[47:15] . As part of this broader

[47:19] participation process, people

[47:21] said they love Gloucester,

[47:22] want to stay here, but it's becoming increasingly

[47:24] difficult to do so, with

[47:26] housing being the main factor. The

[47:28] community repeatedly expressed that they

[47:30] want more housing options, and that they

[47:32] care about scale, design,

[47:33] infrastructure, and

[47:35] neighborhood context. And as Alex mentioned, right now

[47:38] , 41% of people

[47:40] living in Gloucester have a

[47:42] housing cost burden, which is

[47:44] really significant. And at Action, we

[47:46] see it firsthand every

[47:48] day; the need for

[47:49] affordable and accessible housing only continues to

[47:51] grow and persists as the

[47:53] community's top need. Every time

[47:55] we conduct our

[47:57] community needs assessment, it's the

[47:58] number one problem for people.

[48:00] We recently conducted our own

[48:01] assessment and heard loud

[48:03] and clear from people that housing

[48:05] is a major challenge. The

[48:06] most common barrier to finding or keeping

[48:08] a home is the cost of rent or

[48:10] a mortgage, and that was consistent across

[48:12] all age groups and

[48:14] employment groups. Employment does not necessarily

[48:16] provide enough income to

[48:18] maintain stable housing in the

[48:19] current market. Overall, the data

[48:22] suggest that the housing challenge is

[48:24] not limited to the number of units

[48:26] available, but that while expanding

[48:28] the housing supply remains

[48:30] important, residents still

[48:31] face barriers to making

[48:33] existing housing affordable,

[48:35] such as high housing costs,

[48:37] upfront rental expenses,

[48:38] income and credit requirements, and

[48:40] other eligibility criteria.

[48:42] Therefore, all this only

[48:44] reinforces what we learned through the

[48:46] Housing Compass Plan: that it is not just

[48:48] one problem, but

[48:50] several, and that we need a kind

[48:52] of multi-faceted approach. The Housing Compass Plan

[48:54] seeks to address these

[48:56] problems with the pillars that

[48:58] people talked about earlier, because it is essential

[49:00] that this comprehensive approach protects

[49:03] people in communities so they

[49:05] can remain housed and reduce

[49:07] displacement, because that only causes

[49:09] a domino effect in the system.

[49:13] Preserve what we already have in

[49:14] terms of current affordable and

[49:16] accessible housing and produce

[49:18] new and affordable housing,

[49:20] Peggy.

[49:21] Balance matters, because new

[49:23] constructions won't solve it on their own.

[49:26] And I hope you all will support me.

[49:28] I fully support the

[49:30] priority recommendations mentioned in the

[49:32] executive summary and urge the

[49:34] City Council and the

[49:35] Planning Committee to approve the

[49:37] Housing Compass Plan. It gives us a framework

[49:39] to move forward and a path to address

[49:41] the housing crisis we

[49:42] currently face. Thank you so much

[49:45] .

[49:46] Thank you so much.

[49:59] Okay, does anyone else want to speak in

[50:01] favor? Let him speak out against it. Opponents, come up

[50:07] to the podium. Okay. No. We'll

[50:15] be able to sort it out.

[50:17] Thank you. Because I commented

[50:20] on the 154-page plan and submitted

[50:22] 20 pages of comments. Okay. Well

[50:26] , my name is Jane Fox. I appreciate

[50:28] the opportunity to speak today. I believe

[50:30] their plan was

[50:31] professionally written. Despite its

[50:34] strengths, I have some reservations. There are a

[50:37] few things I want to point out. The

[50:39] plan did not include any analysis of the

[50:41] fiscal impact.

[50:43] Gloucester residents, especially

[50:45] senior citizens, are already struggling with

[50:46] property taxes. The plan did not explain how the

[50:48] increased density, new

[50:50] housing programs, or zoning changes would

[50:52] affect taxes,

[50:54] school budgets, DPW, water, sewer, or

[50:56] safety. An affordability plan

[50:58] cannot ignore taxes. There is no

[51:00] assessment of the infrastructure's capacity

[51:02] . Gloucester is a

[51:04] coastal city with aging systems,

[51:06] but the plan does not provide data on

[51:08] sewage, water pressure,

[51:09] stormwater capacity, flood risk areas,

[51:11] or emergency access restrictions

[51:13] . Without this, the

[51:15] recommendations are not based on

[51:17] reality. The plan does not provide

[51:19] any school registration form. It

[51:21] does not analyze whether new housing

[51:23] will increase enrollment, whether

[51:25] schools have capacity, or whether

[51:27] 40R or 40Y districts would trigger

[51:29] Chapter 40S refunds. This is

[51:31] essential for

[51:33] responsible planning. I could go on and on,

[51:35] but the plan barely addresses

[51:36] short-term rentals and

[51:38] speculative investments, even though both

[51:40] significantly impact

[51:41] Gloucester's property market. There is no

[51:43] data on STRs, investor-

[51:45] owned multifamily units,

[51:47] or

[51:48] displacement risk. The plan does not provide

[51:50] cost estimates for the

[51:52] funding strategy for many of the

[51:53] recommendations. Without costs,

[51:54] staffing needs, or sources of

[51:56] funding, the plan is not viable. The

[51:59] plan does not prioritize their recommendations.

[52:01] Residents and

[52:03] policymakers cannot say what

[52:04] should happen first, what has the

[52:06] greatest impact, or what is feasible. In

[52:08] summary, this is a solid technical document

[52:10] , but it is not yet a

[52:12] resident-friendly plan nor is it

[52:14] ready for implementation. Gloucester

[52:17] deserves a plan that is transparent,

[52:19] fiscally responsible and based on

[52:21] real infrastructure and

[52:23] neighborhood conditions. I urge the city to

[52:27] review the plan to include

[52:29] fiscal impacts, infrastructure capacity,

[52:32] school models,

[52:34] neighborhood-level development analysis,

[52:36] STR data and speculation,

[52:39] cost estimates, and clear prioritization, so that

[52:41] residents can understand how

[52:44] this plan affects their homes, their

[52:46] taxes, and their future. Thank you. I

[52:49] support him, but I think I'm only

[52:51] hearing the good things. I'm not

[52:53] hearing the reality of what it will

[52:55] cost residents today,

[52:56] especially the elderly.

[52:58] Thank you.

[52:59] Does anyone else want to speak out

[53:06] against it? Does

[53:10] anyone else have reservations or want to

[53:12] speak out against it?

[53:23] Beverly Pelmachi, 8 Commonwealth Avenue

[53:26] . I agree with everything he said

[53:28] . And more. I wanted to feel confident

[53:34] that the city center would not again

[53:36] become the center of attention, as it

[53:38] was under the MBTA mandate. Well,

[53:42] we've paid our price. You know,

[53:44] we've changed our zoning. We do

[53:46] n't want to be okay, they have the

[53:48] sewers, so this is where we need to

[53:50] focus. And in terms

[53:53] of...I don't remember exactly how she

[53:58] said it, but I have a

[54:00] situation myself. I'm in the center. The

[54:03] zoning has changed. I'm not

[54:05] sure if this has affected what's

[54:07] happening behind me, but

[54:10] a property was purchased, two very

[54:12] small houses on a non-compliant plot.

[54:15] Affordable rentals. Someone from out

[54:17] of town came and bought it.

[54:20] Rents have doubled. A

[54:22] family had to move. This house is being

[54:25] expanded and improved. This is not going to

[54:28] be affordable for anyone. So I don't

[54:31] know what we have to protect ourselves from

[54:33] that. What will stop

[54:36] people who can still afford these

[54:38] prices, these extreme prices, from coming here and

[54:40] driving them up even more? And in

[54:43] my case, I have been blind for 32

[54:46] years. I can no longer see the water because

[54:50] this construction will not accommodate any

[54:52] more people. It's a two-

[54:54] bedroom house, but it's going to be a

[54:56] grand two-bedroom house, and I can't

[54:58] imagine what the rent will cost

[55:00] . That's why I think it's very

[55:02] important that we protect ourselves in some

[55:04] way. I don't know how, but please do

[55:07] n't just focus on the center because

[55:09] we have the sewer system.

[55:12] Everyone should pay. And don't forget the

[55:15] situation with short-

[55:17] term rentals. I think some of you

[55:19] know that I've been sending you letters about that for

[55:20] years. It should

[55:22] have been controlled a long time ago, and

[55:24] we are paying the price. Thank you.

[55:29] Does anyone else have any

[55:39] comments of any kind? Yes. I'm

[55:57] sorry, it was last minute. Nick

[55:59] Fay, 33 Emerson Ave. I just want to

[56:04] thank Alan and the team. I think

[56:06] everyone has been working very

[56:08] hard on this.

[56:11] Housing development is a very

[56:13] complex situation. Well, I'm an expert with

[56:16] numbers, and as interest rates

[56:19] rise higher and higher each day this

[56:21] week, we're feeling the pressure when it comes

[56:23] to costs. And I believe that

[56:29] community involvement and a

[56:31] proactive stance really help to

[56:33] support the increase in supply.

[56:38] Anyway, I want to thank you and I

[56:39] really appreciate you

[56:41] hosting us. Thank you.

[56:43] Are we having any communication

[56:53] , Madam Secretary?

[56:55] The municipal secretary's office did not

[56:57] receive any communication in time

[56:59] for the deadline. There was a

[57:01] communication that was received after

[57:03] the deadline for sending it and that

[57:05] was sent to the full City Council.

[57:06] Yes.

[57:07] We also received many other

[57:09] communications that were addressed

[57:10] directly to us. Questions from the

[57:14] councilors and the

[57:15] planning board. Raise your hand and go

[57:24] ahead. David.

[57:29] Rosen, member of the

[57:31] planning board. Alex, how long

[57:34] is the housing compass plan valid

[57:36] ? Well,

[57:40] as far as the status is concerned, it's

[57:42] valid for 5 years.

[57:52] Councilman Benson. Thank you. Well, there was

[57:56] a debate and some voters

[57:58] contacted me to

[58:00] ask what a gateway city is

[58:02] . If you could

[58:04] briefly describe what an entry city is

[58:06] , I understand that we can

[58:08] meet some of the criteria,

[58:11] but not others. These cities

[58:14] emerged in the mid-

[58:17] 2000s, specifically due to

[58:19] deindustrialization and the

[58:21] frequent relocation of jobs abroad.

[58:24] Communities like Lynn and other

[58:25] similar communities have been

[58:27] considered gateway cities. But

[58:29] could you define what a gateway city is

[58:31] to clarify some facts,

[58:33] if that makes sense?

[58:34] Of course, it's a designation for the

[58:36] set of state subsidies.

[58:38] Therefore, it is basically a way for

[58:40] the state to think about the types of

[58:42] communities it wants to support with

[58:44] grant funding. Well, you were

[58:46] referring to communities that have had, let's say

[58:48] , jobs that have disappeared due to

[58:50] the decline of the industry, things like that.

[58:54] It has certain criteria for

[58:56] population size, income, and the

[58:59] amount of... There is another criterion that I don't

[59:01] remember right now. Basically,

[59:04] Gloucester meets all the criteria,

[59:06] but our population is

[59:08] 5000 short. Therefore, we

[59:10] are not saying that we will magically increase the

[59:12] population. We're just saying

[59:14] that we meet all the other

[59:16] criteria. We want the state to

[59:18] consider us for

[59:19] available grants through

[59:21] gateway designation.

[59:24] That's how it is. The gateway is

[59:27] 35,000 to 200,000. Jason,

[59:39] Growth Council.

[59:41] Thank you. Alex, you have produced an

[59:43] excellent document. We have

[59:46] many people to thank for their

[59:47] contributions. But

[59:49] now it is up to us to

[59:51] implement it, the

[59:52] Planning Board and the City Council. So

[59:54] , give me a little guidance here.

[59:56] How are we going to do it? How do

[59:58] we classify our main steps

[1:00:00] , you know, one, two or three that we must

[1:00:03] take and that would be the most beneficial

[1:00:05] in the short term? I think I'd

[1:00:08] like us to do something over

[1:00:10] the next year instead of just leaving this

[1:00:13] on a shelf to gather dust,

[1:00:15] which is what we usually do with these

[1:00:17] long-term plans or properties. We do

[1:00:20] n't usually do much with them.

[1:00:23] So, how are we going to get this

[1:00:25] going?

[1:00:29] Well, I think we need to continue what we've been

[1:00:31] doing, which

[1:00:33] is creating a great community process

[1:00:35] because to make any

[1:00:38] of these recommendations a reality, we need to

[1:00:40] have more conversations with the

[1:00:41] community and do things in line with

[1:00:44] what they want to happen where they live.

[1:00:47] I believe we have a great

[1:00:48] infrastructure in place to

[1:00:50] implement this plan. Several of these

[1:00:53] are financing-related recommendations

[1:00:55] that fall within the scope

[1:00:57] of the Affordable Housing Trust.

[1:01:01] Therefore, the trust has already begun to

[1:01:03] evaluate those three recommendations

[1:01:05] regarding the possible creation of a

[1:01:06] lease program for

[1:01:08] local residents, the possible creation of a

[1:01:10] loan product for

[1:01:12] small towns or housing types, and the

[1:01:14] possible subsidy of

[1:01:16] affordable units to make their

[1:01:17] affordability levels higher, a

[1:01:19] price reduction program. Therefore,

[1:01:22] they are analyzing all those things and

[1:01:24] then they will get to work on

[1:01:26] creating those programs. So

[1:01:28] , that's underway. Along

[1:01:30] similar lines, the

[1:01:33] planning board's subcommittee, the

[1:01:35] housing subcommittee, has been analyzing

[1:01:37] many zoning recommendations

[1:01:39] and would be the vehicle, as is

[1:01:41] tradition, to analyze where

[1:01:43] the zoning recommendations would focus

[1:01:45] , what they would look like, and to

[1:01:47] analyze them and make recommendations

[1:01:49] as a city council to adopt the

[1:01:51] zoning. Several of those

[1:01:53] recommendations involve

[1:01:55] smart growth districts. I believe the

[1:01:58] greatest impact we can achieve with

[1:02:01] this plan is to consider where

[1:02:02] to locate them, because not only would they facilitate

[1:02:05] the housing that the city needs,

[1:02:07] but they can also generate

[1:02:09] significant financial benefits. Then

[1:02:14] there are a number of recommendations that

[1:02:16] are really administrative and that

[1:02:18] community development staff

[1:02:20] are well trained to submit,

[1:02:22] such as the tenant notification ordinance

[1:02:25] . You know, that's something we

[1:02:27] could do right away. Create

[1:02:29] a housing resources page that

[1:02:30] not only includes our

[1:02:32] first-

[1:02:34] time homeownership program, but all state programs

[1:02:35] and complementary tools

[1:02:37] that people would want to access. So

[1:02:39] , those things could happen tomorrow.

[1:02:41] And I believe we have the

[1:02:43] right people in the right places to

[1:02:44] advance the most important issues. I'm sorry

[1:02:50] , Kimberly.

[1:02:53] Thank you. What percentage of our

[1:02:56] affordable housing will prioritize

[1:02:58] local preference? The woman in the

[1:03:01] audience spoke, for example, about the

[1:03:03] possible housing above a small

[1:03:05] grocery store in the old

[1:03:07] Shaw's. Would that prioritize

[1:03:08] local preference?

[1:03:11] Each time

[1:03:13] affordable housing is developed and authorized,

[1:03:15] we have the opportunity to request

[1:03:17] local preference from the state, which is

[1:03:20] up to 70% of the units according to

[1:03:22] state fair housing laws. As

[1:03:25] part of that, we can also

[1:03:26] prioritize veterans and

[1:03:28] senior citizens.

[1:03:37] Councilman Newton.

[1:03:38] Thank you. No, no, Harris, me. If anyone

[1:03:42] else has done it...Well, we've talked

[1:03:45] a bit about the 40Y, and I've heard from

[1:03:47] many people in my district and

[1:03:49] elsewhere, especially

[1:03:51] young people, about the idea of

[1:03:53] starter homes. And we've seen this

[1:03:56] in other parts of the state and across the

[1:03:58] country. Could you tell us where

[1:04:01] we might consider creating

[1:04:02] some 40Y zoning in the future?

[1:04:05] Because, again, I think what

[1:04:06] Councillor Gross said is that we need to

[1:04:08] make sure this doesn't just sit on a

[1:04:09] shelf. And that, in fact,

[1:04:11] proactively, once we approve it

[1:04:13] tonight, we need to get going

[1:04:15] and start proactively approving

[1:04:18] tenant rights and other things. But if

[1:04:20] you could mention where you think

[1:04:22] some areas of the city could work

[1:04:25] with 40Y, that would be great.

[1:04:28] Yes. It's something I think you'd want to see

[1:04:32] in the housing restrictions section

[1:04:33] of this plan. And, generally speaking

[1:04:37] , those white areas on the map

[1:04:39] are places where there may be

[1:04:41] opportunities for that. But the

[1:04:44] planning board's subcommittee, the

[1:04:46] housing subcommittee, has begun to look into the

[1:04:48] possibility of clearing part of our

[1:04:50] group zoning. And that's similar

[1:04:52] to what a 40Y would be. Therefore,

[1:04:55] there is a starting point for a process

[1:04:57] of studying where that would go.

[1:04:59] But I think it would be great to see the

[1:05:01] city council work with the

[1:05:03] planning board to identify those

[1:05:06] locations using this plan as a

[1:05:08] guide and then go through a process,

[1:05:10] because as has been pointed out tonight

[1:05:12] and through all the

[1:05:14] public comments, there are unique limitations everywhere

[1:05:17] , and they need to be analyzed and

[1:05:19] made sure that that area can

[1:05:21] accommodate more housing and

[1:05:23] those details can be worked out and make sure

[1:05:25] the neighborhood is on board.

[1:05:28] Well, this plan doesn't say where

[1:05:30] 40Y could go, but it does offer some

[1:05:33] opportunities to consider as a

[1:05:35] guide. Councilman Price.

[1:05:40] Thank you. First of all,

[1:05:42] thank you so much for all the hard work that has been

[1:05:44] done, you know, all the

[1:05:46] research and data and the

[1:05:47] compilation of all this.

[1:05:49] Congratulations. Good job. I have a rather

[1:05:52] strange question, I think. Okay,

[1:05:54] all the grants and other

[1:05:56] funding sources that are mentioned

[1:05:58] when talking about 40R and 40Y and that

[1:06:00] sort of thing: is there any danger

[1:06:02] of that happening? Are they based on

[1:06:05] solid foundations, or is there any

[1:06:07] danger that they could change if we see a

[1:06:09] shift in the landscape after the

[1:06:11] midterm elections?

[1:06:16] Well, that's a good question.

[1:06:17] Fortunately, last fall there was

[1:06:20] a bond bill that

[1:06:22] repaid the 40R program, the

[1:06:24] 40Y program, and that's why we feel confident

[1:06:27] making those recommendations in this plan

[1:06:29] . Well, you know, that could be something

[1:06:31] for which the funding source might

[1:06:33] not be there in the future. So,

[1:06:35] again, I think we should

[1:06:37] prioritize taking action now.

[1:06:40] In other words, right now it's a

[1:06:42] pretty safe bet, but later on it

[1:06:44] could, you know, pull the

[1:06:47] rug out from under you.

[1:06:48] Well, it's authorized by the

[1:06:50] state legislature, so I wouldn't

[1:06:52] worry about a change in the governor's position

[1:06:54] . The funding source

[1:06:58] is limited and could run out as

[1:07:00] more communities file for Chapter

[1:07:02] 40R. I

[1:07:05] just wanted to add that the

[1:07:07] current economic bill proposes to

[1:07:09] increase both the amount and

[1:07:11] structure of incentive payments to

[1:07:13] communities for adopting the

[1:07:14] ordinance. I

[1:07:24] have a couple of questions, Alex. One of

[1:07:28] the speakers mentioned how we can

[1:07:35] guarantee that some

[1:07:37] kind of grocery store will be installed if

[1:07:39] we include the 40R. Mixed use is

[1:07:42] mandatory. Could you elaborate

[1:07:47] on that a little more?

[1:07:49] This is consistent with other feedback we

[1:07:51] received. There was enthusiasm for

[1:07:53] supporting the recommendation regarding 7

[1:07:55] Railroad Ave as a site of

[1:07:57] opportunity in the

[1:07:59] overall Railroad Ave corridor. But many of the

[1:08:02] comments were very clear about

[1:08:04] wanting to use it as a way to

[1:08:06] encourage the return of a

[1:08:08] grocery store downtown, which has been a

[1:08:10] long-standing element that the community

[1:08:13] has wanted to happen. We could

[1:08:16] write the zoning and list

[1:08:18] the permitted uses on the ground floor and

[1:08:20] just list the ones we want to see, and

[1:08:22] this plan is quite clear that

[1:08:24] we want it to be a

[1:08:26] grocery store. The other issue is that

[1:08:29] whoever ends up developing that

[1:08:31] project, we have to work with

[1:08:33] them to find a store that

[1:08:35] can be set up. You know, it's a

[1:08:38] partnership. That's what we need to

[1:08:40] see to have the best chance of

[1:08:42] achieving it. It is a private property. We can't

[1:08:44] control everything that happens,

[1:08:46] but I believe we have many

[1:08:48] tools to ensure

[1:08:50] we get the result the community

[1:08:52] wants.

[1:08:55] And we saw the map of land that is not

[1:08:56] available. And I think I read

[1:08:59] somewhere here that around 75

[1:09:01] % of the city's landmass

[1:09:03] is unavailable for development. Do

[1:09:07] we need to be more cautious in

[1:09:09] how we continue to increase that number

[1:09:15] by adding more and more land to

[1:09:17] conservation?

[1:09:21] Well, those things are certainly in

[1:09:23] conflict. And I think they should review

[1:09:26] their housing plan, their

[1:09:27] open space plan, and reconcile both.

[1:09:30] But you know, that's a decision that

[1:09:31] political leaders have to make

[1:09:33] . I believe this plan gives them what they

[1:09:40] need to consider when deciding

[1:09:42] whether or not to conserve the soil.

[1:09:48] Councilor

[1:09:49] Hanson.

[1:09:50] Thank you. One last question that relates

[1:09:52] to what we were talking about

[1:09:54] earlier. I saw in the plan that 75%

[1:09:56] of all the land in the city is not

[1:09:59] developable. But you spoke, and I think

[1:10:02] we talked about this, and then I think there was

[1:10:04] a wider conversation at

[1:10:06] the forum at the

[1:10:08] senior center. You mentioned that there could be

[1:10:12] funding opportunities

[1:10:14] for the city to obtain money for

[1:10:16] critical infrastructure. So,

[1:10:18] if we could find that

[1:10:20] funding in places where there is no

[1:10:22] sewage system, would it be plausible that

[1:10:25] this could happen in the future? If

[1:10:27] we obtained that money, we could

[1:10:29] invest it and then develop those

[1:10:31] areas.

[1:10:34] Yes, that's something to keep in

[1:10:36] mind. There are some

[1:10:38] state-run programs that provide

[1:10:39] fairly significant amounts of

[1:10:41] funding for infrastructure,

[1:10:43] specifically

[1:10:45] sewer infrastructure, to unlock

[1:10:47] development. It is not possible without them. The

[1:10:49] MassWorks program, the

[1:10:51] HousingWorks program, you know, you can receive

[1:10:54] millions of dollars through those

[1:10:56] programs. But to have a good

[1:10:59] application, you need to have a good

[1:11:01] affordable housing development or

[1:11:04] something that generates jobs and has a big

[1:11:06] impact. So, that's possible, but

[1:11:10] you need to have a good application

[1:11:12] to have a chance of getting

[1:11:14] that funding.

[1:11:15] Thank you. So yes, this really

[1:11:18] lays the foundation for everything we

[1:11:19] want to do and hope to do,

[1:11:21] especially in terms of

[1:11:23] infrastructure if the money is

[1:11:25] available. But, thank you.

[1:11:28] Shawn Henry has raised his hand. Go

[1:11:30] ahead, Shawn.

[1:11:32] Thank you. I don't want to talk out of

[1:11:35] turn. I just wanted to return to your

[1:11:37] question as a member of the Housing

[1:11:42] Compass group, regarding your point about the

[1:11:44] tension between conservation. In

[1:11:47] fact, I think I'm officially supposed to

[1:11:49] start my video. I'm sorry.

[1:11:54] Regarding your point about the tension

[1:11:56] between soil conservation and

[1:11:58] development, I believe that where the plan

[1:12:00] addresses that issue is through

[1:12:02] appropriate sizing.

[1:12:05] Historically, when we installed the

[1:12:07] sewer system in North Gloucester,

[1:12:09] we doubled the lot size requirements

[1:12:12] . When doing 3A, we recognized

[1:12:19] that our R5 district contained

[1:12:21] many lots that were well below

[1:12:24] that size. Therefore, in order to

[1:12:27] respond to 3A, we had to

[1:12:29] address it by reducing the minimum

[1:12:32] lot size to 4000 square feet. And I

[1:12:35] believe that if we review and examine

[1:12:37] our existing zoning,

[1:12:39] we will discover that the vast majority of

[1:12:41] existing housing is on

[1:12:43] undersized lots.

[1:12:48] Therefore, if we address the

[1:12:50] development problem not by occupying

[1:12:52] existing green spaces, but

[1:12:54] by zoning to the

[1:12:56] appropriate size, which is what the

[1:12:59] plan recommends. Then, we will eliminate that

[1:13:03] tension between preserving

[1:13:05] green space and allowing new developments. And I

[1:13:11] think that, as you know, including

[1:13:13] downtown, there's no

[1:13:15] reason why a development on Main

[1:13:17] Street that allows for the development of a

[1:13:20] lot-line to lot-line commercial building

[1:13:22] should be forced to

[1:13:24] go through a ZBA process when

[1:13:27] a residential component is introduced into

[1:13:32] it. Anyway, so as not to take up

[1:13:35] more than my 3 minutes, I think

[1:13:37] appropriately sized zoning

[1:13:39] addresses the problem you raised. I

[1:13:43] have no time constraints.

[1:13:46] Oh, don't tell him. Are you ready,

[1:13:49] Sean?

[1:13:50] For now.

[1:13:51] Are you ready? Okay, thanks. I

[1:13:53] don't want to be the big talking head

[1:13:55] in the room.

[1:14:01] Anyone else? Go

[1:14:07] ahead,

[1:14:08] yes, we had...I'm sorry, I don't remember

[1:14:10] your name, the young woman with glasses who

[1:14:12] spoke about...who was neither for nor

[1:14:14] against, rather in the

[1:14:16] middle. Have any of

[1:14:18] those questions been answered?

[1:14:19] Jane Fox. Have any of

[1:14:21] these issues been considered with this

[1:14:23] administration and the DPW, given the rising

[1:14:25] cost of everything, such as water,

[1:14:27] sewage, and traffic, all

[1:14:29] within the housing plan? Has

[1:14:31] that information been shared?

[1:14:33] Yes, there were interviews with the

[1:14:35] Public Works Health Board and other

[1:14:37] staff who looked at those kinds of

[1:14:39] limitations, and broadly speaking, the

[1:14:41] conclusion was that the center can

[1:14:43] support further development and our

[1:14:46] upgrade to the

[1:14:47] secondary wastewater treatment facilities will

[1:14:49] only improve that

[1:14:51] situation. We have no concerns

[1:14:53] about the infrastructure and its capacity

[1:14:56] to manage development at all

[1:14:58] sites of opportunity, but I

[1:14:59] also believe there would be a process

[1:15:01] to analyze that specifically as

[1:15:03] development progresses

[1:15:05] .

[1:15:06] And just one last question, when

[1:15:08] is the deadline for us to

[1:15:10] submit this to the state? There

[1:15:14] is no deadline, but we would

[1:15:16] like to have a state-approved plan

[1:15:18] because it will give us more

[1:15:21] local control over

[1:15:22] Chapter 40B proposals.

[1:15:26] Thank you. Well, there was another component

[1:15:37] here that, well, I felt

[1:15:40] deserved some discussion, and that is,

[1:15:42] well, to create a sort of

[1:15:49] task force to examine, well, the

[1:15:52] building codes and the way they are

[1:15:54] affecting our

[1:15:59] moderately sized multi-family buildings and grouping them into, well,

[1:16:01] large projects. And I'm very happy

[1:16:05] with our other... Is this going to be a

[1:16:07] regional effort to try to reach

[1:16:09] the state, or is the state going to take the

[1:16:12] lead on this? Do we need to, well

[1:16:15] , who do we need to pressure to

[1:16:17] make sure this gets

[1:16:19] going and gets going

[1:16:20] quickly?

[1:16:21] Yes, well, actually, based on

[1:16:24] your comments at the P&D meeting,

[1:16:26] we wanted to clarify that it should be a

[1:16:28] state commission. Well, there were also

[1:16:30] some comments sharing

[1:16:32] concerns about whether changing

[1:16:34] the building code will

[1:16:35] affect, well, health and

[1:16:37] safety. Well, we want to make

[1:16:39] changes that will make it more

[1:16:41] financially viable to create

[1:16:43] smaller housing options. But we want to

[1:16:45] do it in a way that does not compromise

[1:16:47] public health and safety. I believe

[1:16:49] a state-led panel with

[1:16:51] state experts should handle

[1:16:53] that because, at the end of the day, it's a

[1:16:55] state building code and

[1:16:57] any changes they make would

[1:16:59] apply statewide. We have

[1:17:02] some excellent partners at DOER with

[1:17:04] whom we can talk and advocate

[1:17:06] for the establishment of that commission

[1:17:08] . Thank you. Anyone else? Very good. I am

[1:17:21] going to close the public hearing for

[1:17:23] the city council. Closing the

[1:17:28] public comment period for

[1:17:29] the planning board. Does any

[1:17:34] board wish to make a recommendation?

[1:17:39] I propose that the planning board

[1:17:41] adopt the 2025 Housing Compass Plan. I

[1:17:43] have a motion to adopt it.

[1:17:47] I need a second, please.

[1:17:48] Second.

[1:17:49] Seconded by Steve Yost. The motion

[1:17:51] was made by Jane Ramsden. I need

[1:17:53] a roll call vote, please.

[1:17:54] Member Noonan.

[1:17:55] Yes.

[1:17:56] Ramsden member.

[1:17:57] Yes.

[1:17:57] Bookman member. We can hear him. That

[1:18:01] was a yes. Member Henry.

[1:18:06] Yes, although I think it's the

[1:18:08] 2026 Housing Compass plan.

[1:18:10] Oh, sorry. I'm amending my

[1:18:13] motion for the 2026 Housing Compass Plan.

[1:18:17] Time flies. And I'm not sure if we

[1:18:20] still have member Cook.

[1:18:22] Mr. Cook, yes.

[1:18:24] Excellent. Member Rosen.

[1:18:27] Yes.

[1:18:28] Yost.

[1:18:29] Yes.

[1:18:30] It's unanimous.

[1:18:31] vote, thank you.

[1:18:34] Hello, and advisor Groat. I

[1:18:36] make a...

[1:18:36] Well, a motion of mine, seconded by

[1:18:38] Councilor Kimberly, the

[1:18:40] Planning and Development Committee voted two in

[1:18:42] favor, zero against, one absent,

[1:18:44] to recommend that the City Council

[1:18:46] accept the draft

[1:18:48] Housing Compass Plan submitted by the

[1:18:50] Community Development Director and

[1:18:51] presented on September 2, 2026.

[1:18:53] And so I do. I

[1:18:55] second.

[1:18:56] Motion made by Councillor Groat,

[1:18:58] seconded by Councillor Kimberly.

[1:19:01] Before we have the debate, I would

[1:19:03] like to make an amendment. I would like to

[1:19:07] remove the word "accept" and insert "

[1:19:09] adopt". And I make that motion.

[1:19:14] Seconded.

[1:19:15] Motion made by Councillor Groat,

[1:19:17] seconded by Councillor Memmerth.

[1:19:19] Debate. Regarding the amendment.

[1:19:23] Any particular reason?

[1:19:25] Because accepting is different from adopting.

[1:19:28] Okay. Thank you, professor.

[1:19:31] Brilliant. Yes.

[1:19:35] Everyone who's in favor?

[1:19:37] Yes. Yes.

[1:19:38] Against? The eyes have it, seven to

[1:19:40] zero, two absent. Now, on the

[1:19:43] main motion, let's debate.

[1:19:45] I think, you know, one of the reasons

[1:19:47] many of us don't

[1:19:49] have questions is that we've been

[1:19:51] talking about this for months and months, but I just want to thank

[1:19:55] Alex again and everyone involved

[1:19:57] , everyone in the community who has

[1:19:59] stepped up. You know, there are a lot of complaints

[1:20:01] about these processes because people don't

[1:20:03] get a chance to speak up,

[1:20:05] right? And I think DeAnne said it

[1:20:06] well. If they felt they didn't have the

[1:20:09] opportunity to speak up, they missed out on

[1:20:11] some of the many opportunities

[1:20:13] to contribute in ways both big and

[1:20:15] small. And I think he created a

[1:20:18] document that we could actually

[1:20:20] use and that could be productive

[1:20:22] in producing housing in this

[1:20:24] community, which is something I think

[1:20:26] everyone in this district and on this board

[1:20:29] is eager to do. So,

[1:20:31] thank you for your work. Now that that

[1:20:33] 's done, we need to get to

[1:20:35] work and do the other work that

[1:20:37] actually makes housing

[1:20:39] possible. I would like to invite my colleagues

[1:20:42] from the board of directors. Yes. Let's be

[1:20:46] honest too. Yes, exactly. Rao.

[1:20:52] I hope we can find a way to

[1:20:54] move things forward quickly and

[1:20:56] make next year

[1:20:58] really productive.

[1:21:03] Anyone else?

[1:21:04] Councilman Benson.

[1:21:05] Thank you. Yes. First, I want to thank

[1:21:11] Alex, the city, the

[1:21:12] administration, and Director

[1:21:14] Katamatory for all the work that went

[1:21:16] into this. There was broad

[1:21:21] public participation and opportunities

[1:21:23] for the public. I wish

[1:21:27] the public would participate more, and I think we've

[1:21:29] thought of some creative ways to

[1:21:31] get more input from the public, and I

[1:21:33] think that will move forward. One thing that

[1:21:38] really caught my attention here,

[1:21:41] and that I already knew, is that 41% of

[1:21:43] households allocate more than 30% of their

[1:21:46] income to housing, and

[1:21:47] approximately half of them

[1:21:50] spend more than 50% of their

[1:21:52] monthly income on housing. That's a

[1:21:57] crisis and we have to address it. And

[1:22:01] going back to the point I made earlier, and as

[1:22:04] the person who represents District 2

[1:22:06] and the devastation, I am glad that the

[1:22:08] Council President addressed

[1:22:11] this question about the lack of a

[1:22:13] grocery store. And we have to

[1:22:16] work hard to find the

[1:22:18] right person to go in there, someone who

[1:22:21] is committed to

[1:22:23] affordable housing, but also

[1:22:24] committed to a

[1:22:26] grocery store that serves the people

[1:22:28] downtown, many of whom don't have a

[1:22:31] vehicle, our senior population

[1:22:33] who don't always have access to go

[1:22:35] to Market Basket or other

[1:22:37] grocery stores. Well, I know that's a

[1:22:40] commitment shared by everyone up here

[1:22:42] on the City Council, and I've

[1:22:44] spoken with members of the

[1:22:46] Planning Board who are committed

[1:22:48] to ensuring that we find a way that

[1:22:50] , whatever goes there,

[1:22:52] a grocery store is at the

[1:22:54] end. Finally, I will also say that

[1:23:02] this is a start and we will not just put it

[1:23:04] on a shelf, but we will get

[1:23:07] aggressive immediately once we

[1:23:09] adopt it to enact

[1:23:11] zoning changes that will help drive

[1:23:13] smart growth and

[1:23:15] smart development and help us

[1:23:18] address this affordability crisis

[1:23:20] that we can't seem to solve—the rising

[1:23:23] cost of housing, which,

[1:23:25] when I say housing, actually means the

[1:23:27] cost of building it has increased by almost

[1:23:30] 50% in 5 years. We can't solve it

[1:23:36] , but we can solve what we can

[1:23:38] solve, and this plan will help us

[1:23:40] solve it. Therefore, I urge you—I believe

[1:23:43] most of my colleagues

[1:23:45] will support this, but I hope all of

[1:23:47] you will support it—and let's be proactive

[1:23:49] and do things to help resolve

[1:23:51] this crisis we face in our

[1:23:54] community. Thank you.

[1:24:02] Anyone else? I'll say a few words.

[1:24:05] I would like to thank the Boston

[1:24:07] Housing Compass Advisory Group, 13

[1:24:09] people who sat down and put a

[1:24:11] lot of hard work into this.

[1:24:15] Community Development, Planning Board,

[1:24:20] lots of work. All the citizens who

[1:24:23] attended the two large

[1:24:25] meetings. It was extremely

[1:24:28] informative to hear that if we look

[1:24:30] at the information that was gathered

[1:24:32] during those meetings. It was very useful.

[1:24:37] As we all know, this is not an

[1:24:39] easy solution. We're going to have to

[1:24:44] decide who we are and what we're going to

[1:24:46] do about it, and it's going to require us to roll up our sleeves

[1:24:49] , think a lot, and

[1:24:51] decide whether or not we want to have, you

[1:24:53] know, homes here for

[1:24:55] people who want to live here. And

[1:25:01] that's going to require, uh, some work,

[1:25:04] some, uh, a lot of explaining and,

[1:25:10] hopefully, also a lot of listening and

[1:25:12] constructive conversations about this

[1:25:14] , because that's the only way, as a

[1:25:17] community, that we'll be able to

[1:25:19] resolve any of these, however little

[1:25:21] we can resolve. Therefore, it will

[1:25:24] require everyone to be willing

[1:25:26] to work towards achieving it and not just

[1:25:28] say no. And so, I simply thank

[1:25:33] everyone, the administration and those

[1:25:35] sitting here. Okay,

[1:25:40] is that all? Yes. Everyone who's in

[1:25:44] favor? Me, me, me. Against? The

[1:25:47] eyes have it 7 to 0. Two reluctantly absent

[1:25:50] . Are you presiding? This is

[1:26:07] a motion to adjourn the

[1:26:08] session. OK. Then, motion

[1:26:14] by Dave Bramson, by Jane oh, Dave

[1:26:17] Bramson without any retraction. Regarding

[1:26:22] the marriage of Dave Rosen and Jane Remson,

[1:26:24] a roll call vote, please. Member

[1:26:27] Nunan: Yes. Member Remson: Yes. Member Bookin: Yes. Member

[1:26:29] Cook: Yes. Member Henry:

[1:26:31] Before we vote, I just want to reiterate my

[1:26:33] thanks to Alex for conducting

[1:26:36] this process. Yes. Member Rosen and

[1:26:42] Member Yost: Yes, thank you. And Jane: A

[1:26:46] motion to adjourn. So, motion.

[1:26:48] Second motion made by

[1:26:50] Council Grove, seconded by Council

[1:26:53] Benson. All those in favor,

[1:26:55] against. Eyes: You have it 7 to 0. Absent. Thank you

[1:26:57] very much, Sean. Thank you, friends.

Gloucester Special Joint City Council & Planning Board Meeting - September 30, 2026

Transcript