By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Zoning-related articles are expected to generate the most interest at the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, which gets underway tonight at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at the Galvin Middle School. In all, voters will face a Town Meeting warrant with 23 articles.
Articles 17 and 18 relate to the town’s compliance with the state’s controversial MBTA Multifamily Zoning mandate. In 2020, the Massachusetts Zoning Act (Section 3A of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A) was amended to promote the production of multi-family housing within walking distance of public transportation to address a “severe regional housing shortage.”
The new Zoning Act requires all MBTA communities, including Wakefield, to create at least one multi-family zoning district of reasonable size near public transit in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right. “As of right” means that a developer may proceed without obtaining a Special Permit, variance, zoning amendment, waiver, or other zoning approval. In the proposed district, the plan would allow up to four units in a three-story building with a height of up to 35 feet on a minimum lot size of 4,000 square feet.
Article 17, the Planning Board’s compliance plan, goes beyond the state mandate, creating a larger-than-required district allowing more multifamily units than the state requires. The Planning Board has said that their plan addresses a housing shortage while creating more housing near the downtown commercial district, which they maintain will help local businesses.
Article 18 is an alternative, minimum compliance model, creating a much smaller district and allowing only a number of new multifamily units sufficient to meet the state requirements. Article 18 is the result of a citizens’ petition.
Another zoning article expected to generate some discussion is Article 19, which would create a marijuana retail sales district at the end of Teal Road. This article was also the result of a citizens’ petition.
Article 20 would delete previous bylaw language prohibiting marijuana establishments in Wakefield.
Article 16, a zoning article that would create a self-storage overlay district at 50 Quannapowitt Parkway, is also expected to draw some interest from Town Meeting attendees.
Opening night of the 2024 Annual Town Meeting will get underway with the presentation of the Fiscal Year 2025 town budget under Article 1. The $127,826,069 spending request will be broken down into broad categories such as General Government, Protection of Persons and Property, Human Services, Public Works, School Department, etc., with each section discussed and voted separately.
Artice 2 will seek Town Meeting approval to appropriate and expend $2,051,816 on capital outlay in FY 2025. The appropriations booklet on the town’s website lists the items requested in next year’s capital budget.
Article 3 seeks to appropriate $5,359,880 for the town’s Capital Projects Debt Service Fund.
Under Article 4, voters will be asked to accept $974,415 from the Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department for payment in lieu of taxes in FY 2025.
Article 5 will seek a transfer from the Free Cash of $350,000 to close the books on the FY 2024 budget.
Under Article 6, voters will be asked to approve $80,000 to indemnify certain police officers and firefighters for medical, surgical and hospitalization expenses as a result of injuries sustained in the performance of their duties.
Article 7 is the routine annual eminent domain article, which involves the appropriation of $1.
Voters will be asked under Article 8 to appropriate $2,456,958 for the collection, disposal, recycling and composting of refuse.
Article 9 is the result of a citizen petition. The article would amend the town bylaws by adding the following language: “The town shall offer trash removal and recycling services to all residential properties, regardless of the number of dwelling units there may be in any multi-family residential building.”
Article 10 asks the voters to amend the General Bylaws by changing the formula by which residents of multifamily buildings are billed for water consumption.
Under Article 11, Town Meeting voters will be asked to appropriate $5,000,000 for the purpose of water main improvements, including design, construction and other costs.
Article 12 seeks $150,000 to pay for the design of a new fueling island at the DPW yard on North Avenue used for refueling town vehicles.
Article 13 will ask voters to fund a collective bargaining agreement between the town and Wakefield Clerical (Town Hall) Union.
Voters will be asked under Article 14 to appropriate sufficient money to fund a collective bargaining agreement between the town and the Beebe Library Staff Association.
Under Article 15, Town Meeting will be asked to vote to authorize the Town Council, pursuant to G.L. c. 40, § 14 and any other applicable authority, to accept an easement on the property currently known and numbered as 1 Hickory Hill, allowing for the removal of the existing wall(s) along Greenwood Street and/or the rebuilding and maintaining of said walls entirely within the lot lines of said property.
Article 21 is a citizens’ petition sponsored article asking Town Meeting to adopt a General Bylaw governing the use of flagpoles on town property. The proposed bylaw states that “The Flag of the United States shall regularly be flown during the daylight hours from at least one flagpole at each Town facility that has one or more flagpoles.” The proposed bylaw goes on to state that, “No flag or banner may be displayed above the flag of the United States, and no flag other than the POW-MIA flag shall be displayed below the American Flag, on any Town flagpole.” In addition, the proposed bylaw states, “Wherever a second flagpole of equal height is present the Commonwealth of Massachusetts flag shall be the only flag flown except for the Four-Star Army General flag flown to honor General John Galvin at the Galvin Middle School and the Marine Corp flag flown to honor Colonel James Landrigan at the Colonel James Landrigan field.”
Articles 22 and 23 are opposing citizens’ petition articles related to the current war in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas forces in Gaza.
Article 22 calls upon Town Meeting to “direct the Town Administrator to send a letter on or before May 3, 2024 by certified mail, return receipt requested, to each member of Wakefield’s federal delegation (that is, the two US Senators from Massachusetts and the US Representative for Massachusetts’s 6th Congressional District) and to US President Joseph R. Biden stating that the Town urges them to use their positions and best efforts to immediately stop all transfers of arms, without exception, from the US to the State of Israel; and further, to immediately stop all scheduled and potential future transfers of funds from the US to the State of Israel including, but not limited to, all funding provided via the US’s Foreign Military Financing (FMF) program; and further, to immediately restore US funding to the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to the level in place prior to January 26, 2024, and to increase US funding to UNRWA to levels commensurate with the humanitarian needs in the Gaza Strip and all other places where UNRWA operates.”
Article 23 asks Town Meeting to direct the town Administrator to send a letter to the president and representatives in Congress urging them to immediately increase all transfers of arms from the US to the state of Israel; and further, to immediately increase transfers of funds from the US to the state of Israel including, but not limited to all funding provided via the US Foreign Military Financing Program; and further, to immediately stop US funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); and to release all Israeli and international hostages including the eight (8) American hostages held in Gaza since October 7th, 2023.
