Published in the Novermber 18, 2015 edition
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Town Meeting will resume on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Veterans Memorial Auditorium in the Galvin Middle School with Article 10. The article is a citizens’ petition initiated by Charles McCauley of Lawrence Street that would reinstitute the winter-long overnight parking ban on the town’s streets.
Earlier this year, the Board of Selectmen voted to eliminate the overnight parking ban (which was only enforced from Dec. 1 to April 1) in favor of a storm-by-storm notification system using reverse 911, social media, the town’s website and other avenues to alert residents to get their cars off the street.
Under the changes proposed under Article 10, a winter-long ban would be re-instituted, with parking on the street prohibited between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. from Dec. 1 to April 1. A fine of $25 would be levied for the first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses.
Article 11 is sponsored by the Planning Board and would make changes to Wakefield’s “Open Space Development” bylaw. Town Planner Paul Reavis has said that the current bylaw, requiring developers to submit an open space development plan before they can submit a standard subdivision plan, has been ruled illegal by a Massachusetts court. Article 11 would make submitting an open space plan optional and would reduce from 40 percent to 25 percent the amount of open space that must be preserved within the overall subdivision.
Article 12 is intended to streamline the permitting for property owners and developers who want to propose mixed-use, multifamily developments in the downtown area. To make more properties eligible, the proposed zoning amendment would reduce land area requirements for projects that propose to have retail on the ground floor and residential units on the upper floors.
Article 12 describes the types of developments contemplated as follows: “Mixed-use developments including said dwellings in combination with other uses such as retail, outdoor and indoor dining, day care, educational and office uses that attract pedestrian activity and create walkable neighborhoods are desirable.”
Article 13 is a citizen petition to change the zoning of a parcel of land off New Salem Street abutting both the Single Family Residential district and the industrial districts. The landlocked parcel is currently zoned as single-residence but is unbuildable as it has no street frontage. The owner would like the zoning changed to industrial so that it he can use it in conjunction with an adjacent parcel that he owns in the industrial zone.
