Beverly City Council Could Vote On Charter, Zoning Changes Monday

BEVERLY, MA — Months of discussion and debate on changes to Beverly zoning bylaws involving height restrictions for new construction, inclusionary affordability requirements, as well as proposed changes to the city charter, could all come to a resolution during a special City Council meeting set for Monday night.

The meeting will take up the recommendations from the Planning Board and Legal Affairs Committee on several zoning changes that include the elimination of the "tall-building" overlay district on Rantoul Street, introduce height restrictions on new construction in the immediate area of Cabot Street, and the enacting of 60 percent affordable housing for a percentage of units in construction with six or more units.

The City Council is also set to consider Ward 6 City Councilor Matthew St. Hilaire's proposal for a more blanket three-story height limitation on all new construction in the city.

The charter changes are extensive and include changing the mayor's term from two to four years, subject to a referendum vote, and expanding the size of the School Committee.

The meeting is Monday night at 7 in City Council Chambers and will be streamed on BevCam.

The Legal Affairs Committee on Jan. 25 recommended most changes proposed by the city's planning and development office in Order 279, aimed at pulling back on what some consider overdevelopment of the Rantoul Street area and the potential for the same on Cabot Street under current zoning standards.

The Legal Affairs Committee also recommended the part of the order that would require a percentage of "affordable housing" in new developments to be offered at 60 percent of the current market rate — a change from the current 80 percent requirement.

Beverly Director of Planning and Development Darlene Wynne previously told the City Council that at 60 percent of market value, a one-bedroom unit in the city would be between $1,473 and $1,683 and a two-bedroom unit between $1,683 and $2,103.

One provision the Committee did not recommend was lowering the size threshold that would trigger the affordable housing requirement from six to four units. Committee Chair Estelle Rand and Councilors Todd Rotondo and Brendan Sweeney said they were swayed against the change by those who said it would deter small developments, which could result in having the reverse effect of lowering the potential housing inventory in the city.

The full City Council on Monday can consider the original Order 279, the recommendations of the Legal Affairs Committee and Planning Board, or make additional amendments to the original order.

City Council President Julie Flowers told Patch on Friday that she expects votes could be taken on any and all of the proposals, but that they could still be delayed if it is the will of Council members to take more time to debate and determine a resolution.

While many residents have spoken in favor of the new zoning restrictions to curb a perceived overdevelopment, housing advocates have raised concerns that limiting the size of buildings could shrink the critical need for new affordable housing development in the city by taking away the means to make those buildings financially feasible for the developers.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)