July 24, 2025 • 39 mins
A Medford residential zoning proposal looks to change the zoning laws in the city. The proposal would allow for more housing developments, potentially changing the housing makeup of this bedroom community to Boston. Is that a good or a bad thing? What's included in the zoning proposal that has some concerned about overcrowding?
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, welcome back everyone, it is thanks very much.
Is we're actually at about nine oh eight it looks like, yeah,
a little bit of that was a long newscast. I'm
delighted to welcome a gentleman who has lived in the
city of Medford for now close to twenty five years.
(00:28):
There is a real effort in Medford underway to essentially
change the fundamental residential zoning laws. Now this is a
separate and apart from the MBTA Communities Act, that's not
what we're talking about. We're talking about an effort by
the city Council in Medford to change the residential zoning laws.
(00:51):
And some of you might gloss over and say, well,
why is that important, Dan, Well, people move into communities
for different reasons. They move in for the schools, they
move in for the neighborhoods. They move in for accessibility
to shopping centers or to rapid transit. This are to
depending upon where they work. They decide, well, I want
(01:12):
to live, you know, close to my homies. So there's
a lot of reasons people move in, and when zoning
laws are changed, it can really upset a lot of
circumstances and plans that people have made. So we're going
to drill down on that with Will Snyder. As I said,
Will and his family that have been Meantford residents now
(01:33):
for almost twenty five years, doesn't make him natives, but
then they're a while for sure. Will Snyder, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
How are you, thanks, Dan, I'm doing very well.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, just a little bit of background. You've been a resident.
You bought a home in Medford, I think you told
me in the early two thousands.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah, And the story there was, my wife and I
were living in the Bay area uh and uh in
a five hundred square foot apartment and and when we
moved east, we had we have relatives in Boston and
New Hampshire. So when we moved east and I took
(02:14):
a job here and stayed with my sister on Brook
Street in Medford, we ended up buying the biggest nearest
house that was for sale, and I couldn't believe it.
You know, it was, you know, relatively speaking, not not
that big of a lot, but the house was big.
And we started our family and and we just love
(02:35):
it here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
So you basically, yeah, you put down some roots. Uh
and uh, you know, look, we all love Greater Boston.
I have plenty of friends in Medford. Plenty of friends
in Medford, and I know that there's been some political
upheaval there and people have run for city council. So so,
so what's going on the neighborhood in which you live?
Is it single family homes?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
That's right. I actually live on the edge of a
single family and general residential, so we we have a
few multifamilies grandfathered in here. But you know, my house
was built in eighteen ninety four and a few of
the houses on my side of the street are even older.
And I have some experience with zoning in the past. Uh,
(03:22):
involved in several lawsuits trying to get enforcement for zoning.
And I also participated in a more modest rewrite of
our zoning about five years ago. But this one was
a big surprise. Medford got a a sort of a
contingent of our revolution candidates that that sort of group
(03:46):
together and got elected a couple of years ago. And
you know, one of their one one of their platform
U points was to to eliminate zoning. Many of us
didn't notice that, and during during the early part of
this year, they started getting serious about that, but if
(04:09):
you went to the web page, it kind of played
down the the you know, the the extent of what
they were trying to do, and many of the many
of the residents only in only an end of May
and June started really realizing, you know, that they were
talking for my property. If the people next door sold
(04:30):
in the most extreme proposal, they could put up a
six plex with two additional rental units, which would be
eight dwelling units on the single family property next door.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So the way it would work. And I just want
to try because this radio we have to visualize things.
I mean, want people to understand that you live on
in any area streets where we're at single family homes
are the are the watts minimum acreage like a quarter acre,
a half acre or something like that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Actually we are eight thousand square feet, which which you
know in many parts of the country that's a small lot.
But that's the fifth of an acre, and that is
we are we are conforming here. We are in a
single family one zone. We have a house on a
fifth acre eight roughly eight thousand foot lot, not quite
(05:20):
and and and uh those lots, you know, would be
valuable if these if these measures passed, those lots would
be valuable to developer. It's just a dirt on that
lot would be valuable, more valuable than the house because
you know, because they could put up six units. Yeah,
and that's change.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Exactly what we're talking about. And therefore your neighborhood, which
the entire character of the neighborhood, which you've invested in,
your families invested in, you might be gone in a
manner of a couple of years. Now, come back to
the phrase these group the our revolution. How many city councilors,
I just want to understand this. How many city councilors
(06:03):
do you have in in Medford? Is in nine?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
There are seven? There are seven, and six of the
seven have signed up to you know, subscribe to this
our revolution. Uh so, so they kind of vote as
a block.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, they have. They have a big time working majority
there which probably not only can pass anything they want,
but they can override vetos from the mayor as well.
I would assume that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
That's right. And and so that creates a situation where
you know, they vote as a block and there's there's
not I think I think it takes away some of
the healthy, you know descent.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Right, sure, absolutely, Now Medford. Uh, and again I know Medford.
There's a lot of people in our audience that know
Medphord and there's a lot of people who don't know Medford.
We have people listening all over the country now. But
it is I'm going to characterize it as a bedroom community.
Is that a phrase that you would accept or do?
Is there a better phrase? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I mean, I mean you have to put that in perspective.
We are, you know, with within the six mile radius
of Boston, which is like one of like the I
think it's in the top twenty largest cities as far
as GDP in the world. Right, So we're a bedroom community,
but we have we have two several different public transportation
(07:24):
options into Boston, and we have Toughs University, and there
are there are some very distinct different regions in Medford.
West Medford is one of the older regions with some
of the one hundred hundred and fifty year old houses
and uh, and North Medford is is a little bit
newer in the you know, in the nineteen ten, nineteen twenties.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh how big? How big is the population in Medford
these days. I'm going to guess seventy thousand.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I don't think it's that much. I'm sorry, I don't
have that number off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
But we have a very very helpful audience, that's for sure. Okay, So, yeah,
you folks, now, who are the long time Most of
the folks from our revolution are they longtime residents of Medford?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Most of them are like, like at least when they
were elected. Most of them are were like born when
we bought our house. And uh so, yeah, Zach Bears
is the president's city council and his family is longtime
Medford and so is justin saying and uh, you know
(08:31):
they but but the councilors themselves, at least three, it's
not four, Uh, do not own property themselves. They're renters.
And yeah, and a few of them do own. I
think Matt Lemming just bought a condo. But they you know,
I would have to say, I have nothing against rentors.
(08:52):
We were renters, you know, up until middle aged. But
but but I would have to say that you really
have to I think you have to own or in
the in the in the town to really you know,
have a have a stake, right.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, sure you do, because it's no Well, it only
makes sense if you're a renter. You move in, you
pay your rent for a you you have a lease
and then maybe you say, gee, I get there are
green and pastures on the other side of the country
or whatever. On the other hand, once you have put
down roots, I mean, this is just reality. And particularly
if you're young and you have a couple of children
(09:25):
and it's a good school system, you say, this is
where we'd like to, you know, raise our kids. Uh.
My guess is Will Snyder. He is not what you
would call a revolutionary, that is for sure. He's a
very normal citizen who has brought to my attention the threat,
the threat of basically almost overnight, turning Medford from what
(09:49):
it has been for a long long time into a
very different community, and also a community which will uproot
certain sections of the city which have been traditionally you know,
single family homes. Now. Zoning is the most important uh
(10:09):
as far as I'm concerned, prerogative of a local community,
and when people invest in a community, they invest in
how the community exists. You don't want to if you
don't want to move into a community where they're going
to open up a barroom next to you. You want
to make sure you don't buy it a commercial district.
So I think all of my audience understand what we're
talking about here, and therefore I'm going to open up
(10:31):
the phone lines. And certainly folks in Medford would love
to hear from you, because this affects you, but also
folks in other communities, because what happens in Medford will
happen in Malden, and then that will happen in Marlborough,
and then that will happen in Monson. You know, pick
whatever letter of the alphabet you want and it will
move around Middleborough. It'll be it'll be everywhere, and it
(10:53):
will fundamentally change. This is different than the MPDA Communities
Act as far as I'm concerned. I have questions about
the NBTA Communities Act too, but I have real questions
about what we're talking about tonight with my guest Will Snyder.
Feel free whether you agree and disagree. All I would
ask you to do is to be polite, ask questions,
(11:14):
make comments. If you find yourself in the middle of this.
All I'm doing is what I like to think I
do fairly well, and that is I'm Paul Revere, modern
day Paul Revere, trying to tell you there's a problem
and you need to pay attention to it. You may
decide that it's not a problem after all, after all,
and Medford might decide in a big open election to
(11:35):
go in a very different direction. So be it. But
I don't want you to be able to call me
up and say, gee, I wish you had highlighted this
problem for your listeners in Medford, but it's also from
my listeners everywhere. This is a problem. Back on Night's
Side six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. Also,
we have two lines at six one seven, nine three
(11:55):
one ten thirty. We'll get right to phone calls right
after the break.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
We're on Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
By the way, I just like to remind you again
that we have a new way that you can be
part of our Nightside broadcast by utilizing our talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. You can make sure you download
and have the free iHeartRadio app on while listening to
Nightside Live on WBZ News Radio, tap the red microphone
talk back button in the top right corner to send
(12:26):
us your personalized audio message and we'll play it back
on Nightside. Now, look it is pretty simple. Once again,
hit the red microphone button in the top right hand
corner of the app while listening to Nightside, and then
send us your audio message. Now, just a couple of
minutes ago, I was asking, was talking with my guest
Will Snyder. We're talking about a change in Medford's residential
(12:46):
zoning laws. And I guess that Medford might have had
I think I said something like seventy or seventy five
thousand people. Well, I said, Will wasn't sure he was
the smarter of the two. Not to take guess, but
one of the residents from Medford just took advantage of
the night Side app. Doesn't have to wait to talk
(13:08):
to us and talk with us. And this is what
she had to say for the record.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
So your question about the population of Medford.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
The population of Medford is about.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
Fifty nine thousand, all.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Right, So you ask and you shall receive. Well, well,
we'll stick with the fifty nine thousand, Okay.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I'm good with that. Yep, it's about fifty thousand. And
just to round the stats out there, about thirteen thousand
owner occupied homes and you know, if you do a
quick back of the envelope, that's about eight billion dollars
worth of real estate that are being affected here.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Well, if you do thirteen thousand homes, and you assume
that each home represents you know, say three people, which
on average would probably be more, now you're up to
about thirty nine thousand, which is a big percentage of that.
It's about two thirds of the people who live in
Medford at a minimum a living in single family homes.
So that is a very characterization of the community.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
We want to get the phone calls two families, was
that No, there could be some two families too. It
turns out Medford is just a little bit, a little
a slim majority of owners to renters. We're about fifty
three to forty owners to renters.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
But I would argue, not to argue, but I would
point out that I think most owners would represent a
minimum of a couple, uh and maybe with a child
or two or an in law parent living with them,
whereas renters, for the most part, are going to be
single individuals who are renting. Sore Again, if you if
(14:52):
you say renters or rather owners to rentors of fifty
three to forty seven in terms of people who live
in owner occupied houses versus folks who live in apartments.
I'll bet you that's much more, something on the order
of sixty or sixty five percent owners to thirty five
or thirty percent renters in my opinion, just in terms
of population. So anyway, let's keep going here. The only
(15:15):
lines open right now are six, one seven. I want
to go to Melanie from Medford. Melanie, your first this
hour on Night Side. Thanks so much for calling in.
What's your thought on this situation? Melanie?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (15:28):
Yes, Hi, this is Melanie. I'm a longtime resident also
met for about thirty years, okay, and currently actually running
for city council because I'm totally against this, Sony.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Have you ever run before? Is this your first time running?
Speaker 7 (15:43):
This is my second run?
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Okay, okay, So this is really got you interested in it.
I think more people should get interested in it. Are
you running in a do you have both at large
seats there in district seats or is it or is
it more more district over at large? How does that
break down?
Speaker 7 (16:05):
They're all they're they're all at large right now?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Oh, so you've got to finish in what the top
seven in order to secure a seat. Okay, how did
you do last time?
Speaker 7 (16:15):
If I could ask, I got forty eight hundred votes.
I think I came in I think right around the
eighth or ninth.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well, something you're with with a little bit of a boost,
you should you should do well. What is your last name?
Speaker 7 (16:32):
Trengali?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
What do you have to say tonight? I just again,
I'm not going to turn it into a campaign commercial,
but thank you for identifying yourself. Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
Yeah, So, I just wanted to build up what Will
has already said. I've been involved in the zoning before.
This has been going on really since December January, and
as well said, there really wasn't a lot of notification
and it was an area in measure that has already
been rezoned. This area is closer to the Malden line
(17:02):
and we call it Salem Street basically, and there was
little notification, if any notification, or even actually community outreach
requesting for community engagement, and just so happened that the
members are the community. There's a few members of the
community that became aware of this and started their own
community outreach and engagement. This is a very tight knit neighborhood,
(17:25):
small mom and pop shops, a combination of single family
and two family residents, and there is a kind of
a main road that goes through it. It actually leads from
ninety three to Malden.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, I know that circle. I know that. I call
it the Medford Malden Circle. I know exactly where you're
talking about.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
Yep. So there was a group that finally got the
city council to organize some community meetings with the designers
on the architects. There was over h and fifty people
at one of these meetings where they really share their
thoughts that they were not happy with the zoning. The
architects did come back with some concessions. They didn't meet
(18:10):
all the concessions, but they did come back with some concessions,
and at the city council meeting at the eleventh hour,
basically one of ther members, Matt Lemming, made an amendment
to reverse the concessions and to go back to the
original zoning because he said that the zoning was too
watered down and not dense enough.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Wow. Well, you have two very different residential philosophies here,
butting heads. One is what Medford's been about for all
the years sounds to me like the radical group or
whatever it is, wants to turn Medford into kind of
a Summerville or a Cambridge sort of vibe. Is that
(18:53):
a off the wall characterization.
Speaker 7 (18:56):
No, I don't think so. I think they really want
a lot of density with the premise that it's going
to bring affordable housing. But I don't this process is
not going to bring a lot of affordable housing. To
be either affordable housing, you have to have at least
ten units. So many of these the way they re
size these lots were not necessarily fit ten units. Maybe
(19:20):
nine units, but not ten. And then, just to give
you an example from a visionary perspective, some of these
lots on Salem Street used to have a minimum requirement
of ten thousand square feet that has now been reduced
to three thousand square feet.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
For yeah, exactly, with thousand square three thousand square feet.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yes, I should interject that the Salem Street was the
Salem Street. The change was actually passed and it is
lawed out right.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Correct, And with three thousand square feet would be could
be something as small as forty by eighty that would
be thirty.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Yeah, it's not that large.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
No, No, you're going to be living on top of each.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
Other, right, and the lock coverage would be eighty up
to eight. You can have a lot coverage up to
eighty percent of about that three thousand square foot lot.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Well, you'd have to in order to have a house
on if it's forty to eighty square feet. I mean
it's it's like part of of the first base line
and then half of the first baseline the other with
versus the length. Wow, that's pretty.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Small that yeah. And I think the heights up there
is pretty up there too. So when you think about this,
it's a very old historic town. Medford was historic buildings
down Salem Street and most of the buildings and no
more than two or three stories, and this I think
can go up to six for seven stories.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well, Melanie, I I think you've you've flushed it out
a little bit. I got a break for news here,
I got other callers from Medford and elsewhere. I do
appreciate you taking the time to call uh and and
I wish you're best of luck in your campaign. It's
Melanie train Galley is that he r?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
I n G A L I okay?
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, best of luck, Melanie. You sound like you know
what you're talking about and you're committed, and it's important
for people to get involved, and everybody in Medford should
get involved. So thanks Melanie, we'll talk again.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Thank you, good night, good night.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
All right, we got to take the news here. I'm
a couple of minutes late. I probably should have given
should have gone to the news early. But we'll get
to the news right now. We get back on to
talk with Jill from Medford, Bill and Medford and John
and Weymouth. I got one line at six one seven,
two five, four ten thirty. One line at six one
seven nine three one ten thirty. My guest is Will Snyder.
I would consider a long time resident of Medford, about
(21:50):
twenty five years, and he is very much concerned about
this radical zoning resolution which will change forever what Medford
has always been, and that is a community for families
and for single family homes. Back on Nightside after this, It's.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Night Side with Dan Ray on.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Welcome back. I'm with Will Snyder. He is a homeowner
in Medford concerned about a a resident a change, a
dramatic change in the residential zoning law. Will. During the break,
I mentioned that the folks from our revolution are looking
to turn Medford into Somerville. Here's some statistics. You're a
(22:36):
statistical guy, so let me run this by you. Medford
does have about fifty nine thousand residents. Somerville next door
has eighty thousand, so they're kind of equivalent in size,
but Somerville is a third larger. Okay, Somerville has four
point two five percent square miles. Medford has eight point
(22:59):
eight six square miles, So Somerville is a third larger
in population and half the size of Medford. I mean,
this is clear that these folks are looking to turn
Medford into Somerville, and I think people in Medford should
be concerned. Let's see what Jill in Medford has to say.
(23:20):
Those stats that I just pulled off of the lady
who called was right. The woman who called was right.
At fifty nine thousand, some of those bigger, about a
third bigger on half the size of Medford. Jill, you
were next on nightside.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Welcome, Welcome, thank you. I've been living in Medford for
twenty five years. I came from triple deckers in Somerville,
and I'm kind of agreeing with you that that's what's happening,
and I feel a lot of pressure from them to
do this and to do this right away, and I
don't feel like they're being very straightforward. They're giving us
(23:56):
choices of a lot of detail, but they're not really
explaining what the problem is to begin with that they're solving.
So they're trying to change the whole city all overnight
when we don't even know that they're going to fix anything.
I'm not against affordable units, particularly for like elderly parents
(24:17):
or kids that want to stay in town, for people
that are committed to this city, for people that want
to expand a little bit of the land they live on,
and you know, for their families. But this is like
bringing everybody and there, you know, just filling up the
place and making it dense for no particular reason. I
(24:37):
live in a on the main street coming from Medford
Center to West Medford Center, and the house across the
across the street from me is from eighteen hundred, and
the one diagonally across the street from me is from
the Revolution. And my house is ninety seven years old,
(24:58):
and so is the house next door to me.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
So this is a this.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
Is a at least our part of the city has
a lot of character and mostly single family homes on
the main street driving through, and I really think they're
just going to destroy the towne into something that I
don't even want to live in.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well, I think that's I think that's the point we're making, Jill,
and I think you've identified it well. And that is
then people move to different communities for different reasons. Maybe
it's the schools, maybe it's an occupation, maybe it's again
some convenience, whether it's you know, a cab you know,
uh mbta uh. And people moved to Memphor because they
(25:38):
like the vibe of Medford. Now these folks have come in,
they got themselves elected, and they're going to change the
vibe and they're going to change the community. And once
it changes and you have, you know a lot of
multi family units and high end condominiums, you know that
Medford will never be Medford again.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
In my opinion, only that. But those people aren't going
to work on a stay because they want to put
like two triple deckers on my property and maybe a
dwelling unit you know behind it. I mean, no one's
going to want to live here by the time that
people the first people buy and find out that everybody
around them. You know, I have a garden. I have
(26:18):
gardens all around me. That's not going to exist if
they're triple deckers around me. What about solar panels? How
are they going to work? If they're people, you know,
and they're going to have a five foot distance in
front of you, that's not the same as living here
the way it is now.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
So a five yard setback from the sidewalk is fifteen feet.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
It's five five foot sideyard, and they're reducing the front
yard to from fifteen to ten feet. So you could have,
you know, in parts in single family areas, you could
have three stories five feet from your property line.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Well, again, the word has got to get out some
years out because if not measured. Yeah, it's just you
have Somerville turned some of them. If they really want
to build some affordable you know, some good affordable housing,
they can find places in communities, and they can also
move out and out from the city a little bit.
(27:18):
I mean there's you know, take a plane ride across
Massachusetts or a helicopter ride. There's wide open spaces where
communities could be planned and built. Why destroy a community
like Medford that's been around for a long time, and we're.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Actually we've done our part. We you know, we have
we we already comply with the MBTA Section three A
rule because we have a six thousand units at Wellington
Station and there's some hundreds more units being proposed, like
the the Capi's Liquor property developer just today announced they
want to put up two hundred and forty eight units there.
(27:57):
And I just want to you know, you want to
compare that to how many blocks that legal family you
have to convert.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Okay when you say Copies Liquor, when you see, yeah,
that's the one at the near Root sixteen.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Right right, we call that the super collider thereby Wellington. Yeah,
they're in that big intersection.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That's that's right now where iHeart is. Yeah. The studios
are on you know, the headquarters run Cat Road.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Yeah, but I mean to put so they're building. I mean,
Medford has lots lots and lots of units already and uh,
we comply with the with the section the section three
A law. And you you want to just ask, you know,
how many how many single family homes do you have
to replace with triple deckers to put in twinter and
forty eight units. That's blocks and blocks and blocks.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, you know, the our revolution people are never going
to be satisfied.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
I've voted for the revolution people because that's some very
good things. And they said they wanted affordable housing, and
I thought, you know, elderly people should be able to
in this town. You know, kids should be able to
stay in this town. But that's not what they're talking
about it all.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Jill, Jill, you got snookered.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
You like that, and uh, you got to talk a
lot of the meetings and I you know, they keep saying, Oh,
it's not going to happen all of a sudden, it's not.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Going to be like they plakate you.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Of course they do. They put your mind at ease.
It's like it's as simple as that. I mean, I've
seen this happen in so many communities. Look at look
at it in New York. They just nominated the Democrats
just nominated an out and now socialist who want that's
gonna be great for New York City. Jill, I appreciate it.
Get out there and make your fight for your city, Jill,
(29:42):
fight for you.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
So I will do that. And I'm glad to hear
that Melanie is on our team.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
So well, you guys got to make connections. They connect,
they know who the team is. You got to know
who's on your team and expand your team. Thank you, Jill.
I appreciate your call very much. We got to take
a quick break here. I'm sorry my guest Will Snyder
from Medford. Will I get a little wound up about
these things, and I'm really sorry. I don't mean to
to jump in here as much, but I feel very
(30:09):
strongly I have friends in these communities long term.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Sure you're doing great. Yeah, the main you know, the
main goal is just to make sure that you know
as many people as possible know about this and understand
the scope so that they can Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I mean if everybody, if everyone in Medford understood and
then voted and this is what they really wanted. Fine,
But if a group of people come in and they're
slick enough to basically tell people what they think they
want to hear, and then once they get in power,
exercise that power autocratically. No, not in my world. We'll
take a quick break, coming right back. I want to
(30:43):
get Bill in Medford. I got John Wayne with Leland
and JP everything we're rolling here coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
It's night Side with Ray.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
My guest is Will Snyd, a long time Medford resident
concerned about a matic change in the Medford residential zoning laws.
Let's go to Bill in Medford. Bill, you're next on Nightsaker,
right ahead.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Hi, Dan, thank you for picking up my call. I
want to thank Will for putting this all together tonight.
I don't know Will, but I'd like to meet Will.
Just Melanie's great. I hope everybody votes a Melanie. So
let me get right into this cause I know I
only have like a few minutes, so I'm in the same.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Boat as well.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
I bought We bought a house around two thousand and three.
We bought it off of a family member, so this
is this is the second owner of the house. I'm
and I live in a great neighborhood. We bought in
a single family area for a reason. For a reason,
if people in Medford want to take a look at
what's what this will look like, please take a ride
down Hadley Street, right off the Salem Street, and they
(31:44):
will see the big monstrosity of units that they put
in next to this small, little, tiny house. That's existing there.
It's I feel so bad for those people. It's it's
it's horrible. There's so much undeveloped land in this in
Medford that they could uh that they could put high
rises in, that they can stay, that they could stay
away from our neighborhoods. So and just real quick, Dan,
(32:09):
I have to touch on the Our Revolution. People don't
realize how dangerous the Our Revolution group is. They're a
national group. They came in here about five years ago.
You talk about Zoron, the moron from New York that
just got elected. He's a Democratic socialist. All five of
these six members are self admitted Democratic socialists. They say it,
(32:30):
they don't hide it, they say it. There's one there's
one councilor that fights tooth and nail for us every
single week who is bullied. George George Scott Pelly. He's
rerunning and I hope everybody votes him back in. He's
he's been, he's a long time city council number. He's
great for our community. He's done. He fights for us
every week.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
What is missed the name.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
His name is George Scott Pelly.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
George Pelly.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Okay, okay, He's a non hour revolution.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Some things like I was on with you, Dan a
few years ago, I was running for school committee. This
is the same Our Revolution group that changed the name
of the Columbus group that the changed the name of
the Columbus School. They have agendas. Okay. Two years ago,
the sitting president now of the city Council, Zach Viz,
he's an Our Revolution. He opened up city Hall on
(33:23):
a Saturday night to have his friend from New Jersey
command to promote his book. And that book was on
rezoning and building up into neighborhoods and density. Okay, so at.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Least they're honest. At least they're honest about what they
want to do. You got to give them that. Bill.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh, let me tell you, Dan, they're the best used
cast salesman around.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Like like Jill said, she was sold, she was sold elemon,
You know she really was sold eleven.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
It happens all the time, Bill, this is a yours
was a great call. Please keep me posted on this story.
I know Will will h and I'd like to well
to try to help you folks.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Dan, I have to reiterate to everybody, please look into
the Our Revolution. They're not They're they're jaters, Dan. These
people come in, they're unknown, they can they move into
the city, and they're topping the ticket. How people can't
figure out how this is even possible because not.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Enough people vote. Bill, Listen, you're right, here's the deal.
In the city of Boston, Okay, you have city council
elections where it's a boto turnout of sixteen or seventeen percent.
That's how they went. Bill. Do you not know? Do you? Guys?
You and Will don't know one another.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I do not know.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You can go find me on some of the local
Facebook groups and you can get in touch.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
I got a better idea. If you want, Bill, leave
you a number with Rob Brooks. I get a better idea. Bill,
leave your number with Rob Brooks, and Rob will give
that to Will before he leaves tonight.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, okay, and again, anybody in Metric listening, please get
out and vote. It's it's I've been saying this for
five years now. I've been screaming at the top of
my lungs. Please get out and vogue. It's very important
to the city. This is not I think this is gonna.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Be our last chance. I think we're gonna lose. Thank
you for listening, and there are going to be there
are going to be at least eight challengers to eight
or nine challengers, and there's gonna be a primary in September.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yep. Okay, well again, make sure you you vet your
people and you and you know what they want to do.
Let me go real quickly here to John in Weymouth. John,
you have been holding on. You're the non Minford caller
of the hour. Go ahead, John, gotta be quick.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Okay, I'll be real quick in and we'll pleasure to
hate you tonight.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
I've lived them Wayne, my entire life.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
My wife, do me a favorite. I have no idea
why you why your voice is so muffled? John, Please
get the microphone near your mouth so we can hear
what you gotta say. Okay, oh, hugely better, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Okay, all we were really concerned in Waynmouth. It's not
the sony. We're always just gonnacerned about the budgets of
the first responders. And we are also concerned about being
able to have our retirements match what our mortgages were
so we could live there throughout our retirement.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Well, you know what you got to do. John, I
don't want to take away from Will's time tonight or
from the Medford issues, So do me favors. Hold on.
Rob will give you my direct number and I'll be
happy to talk to you about the issues that you're
concerned about. A way with that. I'll do, if possible,
to do a program on that. So leave you a
number or Rob will give you mind never you can
call me during the day.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Okay, okay, thanks Davis.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Stay right there, Rob give him the direct line. Let
me go to Paul in Medford. Paul, I saw you
hanging up there, hanging on here. I gotta get you
in and go ahead.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Paul, Hi, how are you Dan? Thanks for doing this.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
You got to be quick for me, buddy. We're running
out of time.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
So they already changed his zoning on Mystic Av. Mystic
Av is the gateway to the city. It's full of
car use car lots. And what they need to do
is build up Mystic Av like they did Assembly Row.
Start there because the infrastructure is already in place and
(37:12):
they can do it. Instead of starting in the neighborhoods,
working in the neighborhoods North Medford, South Medford, West Medford,
stick to what they have on Mystic avat. So everybody's
saying Medfiord is a town, Medford is a city.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Absolutely is a city. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
I have to correct people on that.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
That's okay, Well, there's no one in this program. I
think it's referred to it as a town. I think
we're refers to city, just as Somerville is a city.
But Medford has a very different character and feel to
it than Somerville. We talked about the acreags, the area,
the square mileage of Somerville much smaller half the size
of Medford, and they have a third more population. And
(37:57):
that's what this group would like to do. Turn Medford
into this into another into this like summer feel simple
as that, Paul, I'm flat out of time. I got
you in. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
I got to thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (38:07):
I have a great night.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
Thank you all right, You're welcome.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
Will.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
I thought this was a really interesting hour. It talks
about what is going on in one city. Please keep
in touch with us. You represented your mad position really well.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
Thank you and thank you so much for helping us
get the word out.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
How can people Is there a way in which people
can get to your group or to your organization who
are listening to that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
We're mostly just a loosely, loosely organized group of neighbors
here and we're trying to reach out to other neighborhoods.
I mean, the first the first place, the first place
to start is just go to Medford Medford dot org,
the Medford ma A dot org website and click on
zoning information. It's kind of confusing, but at least that's
a place to start. And there's also local Facebook groups
(38:55):
with lots of controversy about this.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
Okay, sounds sounds great. Keep us posted. Okay, thank you
so much. Will my pleasure to talk to you soon.
We'll come back right after the ten o'clock news. We're
going to talk about a strike potential strike at Fenway Park,
and we're not talking about baseball, talking about a union
strike of the concessionaires.
It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBS Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right, welcome back everyone, it is thanks very much.
Is we're actually at about nine oh eight it looks like, yeah,
a little bit of that was a long newscast. I'm
delighted to welcome a gentleman who has lived in the
city of Medford for now close to twenty five years.
(00:28):
There is a real effort in Medford underway to essentially
change the fundamental residential zoning laws. Now this is a
separate and apart from the MBTA Communities Act, that's not
what we're talking about. We're talking about an effort by
the city Council in Medford to change the residential zoning laws.
(00:51):
And some of you might gloss over and say, well,
why is that important, Dan, Well, people move into communities
for different reasons. They move in for the schools, they
move in for the neighborhoods. They move in for accessibility
to shopping centers or to rapid transit. This are to
depending upon where they work. They decide, well, I want
(01:12):
to live, you know, close to my homies. So there's
a lot of reasons people move in, and when zoning
laws are changed, it can really upset a lot of
circumstances and plans that people have made. So we're going
to drill down on that with Will Snyder. As I said,
Will and his family that have been Meantford residents now
(01:33):
for almost twenty five years, doesn't make him natives, but
then they're a while for sure. Will Snyder, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
How are you, thanks, Dan, I'm doing very well.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, just a little bit of background. You've been a resident.
You bought a home in Medford, I think you told
me in the early two thousands.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah, And the story there was, my wife and I
were living in the Bay area uh and uh in
a five hundred square foot apartment and and when we
moved east, we had we have relatives in Boston and
New Hampshire. So when we moved east and I took
(02:14):
a job here and stayed with my sister on Brook
Street in Medford, we ended up buying the biggest nearest
house that was for sale, and I couldn't believe it.
You know, it was, you know, relatively speaking, not not
that big of a lot, but the house was big.
And we started our family and and we just love
(02:35):
it here.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
So you basically, yeah, you put down some roots. Uh
and uh, you know, look, we all love Greater Boston.
I have plenty of friends in Medford. Plenty of friends
in Medford, and I know that there's been some political
upheaval there and people have run for city council. So so,
so what's going on the neighborhood in which you live?
Is it single family homes?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
That's right. I actually live on the edge of a
single family and general residential, so we we have a
few multifamilies grandfathered in here. But you know, my house
was built in eighteen ninety four and a few of
the houses on my side of the street are even older.
And I have some experience with zoning in the past. Uh,
(03:22):
involved in several lawsuits trying to get enforcement for zoning.
And I also participated in a more modest rewrite of
our zoning about five years ago. But this one was
a big surprise. Medford got a a sort of a
contingent of our revolution candidates that that sort of group
(03:46):
together and got elected a couple of years ago. And
you know, one of their one one of their platform
U points was to to eliminate zoning. Many of us
didn't notice that, and during during the early part of
this year, they started getting serious about that, but if
(04:09):
you went to the web page, it kind of played
down the the you know, the the extent of what
they were trying to do, and many of the many
of the residents only in only an end of May
and June started really realizing, you know, that they were
talking for my property. If the people next door sold
(04:30):
in the most extreme proposal, they could put up a
six plex with two additional rental units, which would be
eight dwelling units on the single family property next door.
Speaker 2 (04:39):
So the way it would work. And I just want
to try because this radio we have to visualize things.
I mean, want people to understand that you live on
in any area streets where we're at single family homes
are the are the watts minimum acreage like a quarter acre,
a half acre or something like that.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Actually we are eight thousand square feet, which which you
know in many parts of the country that's a small lot.
But that's the fifth of an acre, and that is
we are we are conforming here. We are in a
single family one zone. We have a house on a
fifth acre eight roughly eight thousand foot lot, not quite
(05:20):
and and and uh those lots, you know, would be
valuable if these if these measures passed, those lots would
be valuable to developer. It's just a dirt on that
lot would be valuable, more valuable than the house because
you know, because they could put up six units. Yeah,
and that's change.
Speaker 2 (05:42):
Exactly what we're talking about. And therefore your neighborhood, which
the entire character of the neighborhood, which you've invested in,
your families invested in, you might be gone in a
manner of a couple of years. Now, come back to
the phrase these group the our revolution. How many city councilors,
I just want to understand this. How many city councilors
(06:03):
do you have in in Medford? Is in nine?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
There are seven? There are seven, and six of the
seven have signed up to you know, subscribe to this
our revolution. Uh so, so they kind of vote as
a block.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Yeah, they have. They have a big time working majority
there which probably not only can pass anything they want,
but they can override vetos from the mayor as well.
I would assume that's right.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
That's right. And and so that creates a situation where
you know, they vote as a block and there's there's
not I think I think it takes away some of
the healthy, you know descent.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
Right, sure, absolutely, Now Medford. Uh, and again I know Medford.
There's a lot of people in our audience that know
Medphord and there's a lot of people who don't know Medford.
We have people listening all over the country now. But
it is I'm going to characterize it as a bedroom community.
Is that a phrase that you would accept or do?
Is there a better phrase? Yeah?
Speaker 3 (07:00):
I mean, I mean you have to put that in perspective.
We are, you know, with within the six mile radius
of Boston, which is like one of like the I
think it's in the top twenty largest cities as far
as GDP in the world. Right, So we're a bedroom community,
but we have we have two several different public transportation
(07:24):
options into Boston, and we have Toughs University, and there
are there are some very distinct different regions in Medford.
West Medford is one of the older regions with some
of the one hundred hundred and fifty year old houses
and uh, and North Medford is is a little bit
newer in the you know, in the nineteen ten, nineteen twenties.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Oh how big? How big is the population in Medford
these days. I'm going to guess seventy thousand.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I don't think it's that much. I'm sorry, I don't
have that number off the top of my head.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
But we have a very very helpful audience, that's for sure. Okay, So, yeah,
you folks, now, who are the long time Most of
the folks from our revolution are they longtime residents of Medford?
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Most of them are like, like at least when they
were elected. Most of them are were like born when
we bought our house. And uh so, yeah, Zach Bears
is the president's city council and his family is longtime
Medford and so is justin saying and uh, you know
(08:31):
they but but the councilors themselves, at least three, it's
not four, Uh, do not own property themselves. They're renters.
And yeah, and a few of them do own. I
think Matt Lemming just bought a condo. But they you know,
I would have to say, I have nothing against rentors.
(08:52):
We were renters, you know, up until middle aged. But
but but I would have to say that you really
have to I think you have to own or in
the in the in the town to really you know,
have a have a stake, right.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, sure you do, because it's no Well, it only
makes sense if you're a renter. You move in, you
pay your rent for a you you have a lease
and then maybe you say, gee, I get there are
green and pastures on the other side of the country
or whatever. On the other hand, once you have put
down roots, I mean, this is just reality. And particularly
if you're young and you have a couple of children
(09:25):
and it's a good school system, you say, this is
where we'd like to, you know, raise our kids. Uh.
My guess is Will Snyder. He is not what you
would call a revolutionary, that is for sure. He's a
very normal citizen who has brought to my attention the threat,
the threat of basically almost overnight, turning Medford from what
(09:49):
it has been for a long long time into a
very different community, and also a community which will uproot
certain sections of the city which have been traditionally you know,
single family homes. Now. Zoning is the most important uh
(10:09):
as far as I'm concerned, prerogative of a local community,
and when people invest in a community, they invest in
how the community exists. You don't want to if you
don't want to move into a community where they're going
to open up a barroom next to you. You want
to make sure you don't buy it a commercial district.
So I think all of my audience understand what we're
talking about here, and therefore I'm going to open up
(10:31):
the phone lines. And certainly folks in Medford would love
to hear from you, because this affects you, but also
folks in other communities, because what happens in Medford will
happen in Malden, and then that will happen in Marlborough,
and then that will happen in Monson. You know, pick
whatever letter of the alphabet you want and it will
move around Middleborough. It'll be it'll be everywhere, and it
(10:53):
will fundamentally change. This is different than the MPDA Communities
Act as far as I'm concerned. I have questions about
the NBTA Communities Act too, but I have real questions
about what we're talking about tonight with my guest Will Snyder.
Feel free whether you agree and disagree. All I would
ask you to do is to be polite, ask questions,
(11:14):
make comments. If you find yourself in the middle of this.
All I'm doing is what I like to think I
do fairly well, and that is I'm Paul Revere, modern
day Paul Revere, trying to tell you there's a problem
and you need to pay attention to it. You may
decide that it's not a problem after all, after all,
and Medford might decide in a big open election to
(11:35):
go in a very different direction. So be it. But
I don't want you to be able to call me
up and say, gee, I wish you had highlighted this
problem for your listeners in Medford, but it's also from
my listeners everywhere. This is a problem. Back on Night's
Side six one, seven, two, five, four, ten thirty. Also,
we have two lines at six one seven, nine three
(11:55):
one ten thirty. We'll get right to phone calls right
after the break.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
We're on Nightside with Dan Ray on WBZ, Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
By the way, I just like to remind you again
that we have a new way that you can be
part of our Nightside broadcast by utilizing our talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. You can make sure you download
and have the free iHeartRadio app on while listening to
Nightside Live on WBZ News Radio, tap the red microphone
talk back button in the top right corner to send
(12:26):
us your personalized audio message and we'll play it back
on Nightside. Now, look it is pretty simple. Once again,
hit the red microphone button in the top right hand
corner of the app while listening to Nightside, and then
send us your audio message. Now, just a couple of
minutes ago, I was asking, was talking with my guest
Will Snyder. We're talking about a change in Medford's residential
(12:46):
zoning laws. And I guess that Medford might have had
I think I said something like seventy or seventy five
thousand people. Well, I said, Will wasn't sure he was
the smarter of the two. Not to take guess, but
one of the residents from Medford just took advantage of
the night Side app. Doesn't have to wait to talk
(13:08):
to us and talk with us. And this is what
she had to say for the record.
Speaker 4 (13:13):
So your question about the population of Medford.
Speaker 5 (13:16):
The population of Medford is about.
Speaker 6 (13:20):
Fifty nine thousand, all.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
Right, So you ask and you shall receive. Well, well,
we'll stick with the fifty nine thousand, Okay.
Speaker 3 (13:29):
I'm good with that. Yep, it's about fifty thousand. And
just to round the stats out there, about thirteen thousand
owner occupied homes and you know, if you do a
quick back of the envelope, that's about eight billion dollars
worth of real estate that are being affected here.
Speaker 2 (13:46):
Well, if you do thirteen thousand homes, and you assume
that each home represents you know, say three people, which
on average would probably be more, now you're up to
about thirty nine thousand, which is a big percentage of that.
It's about two thirds of the people who live in
Medford at a minimum a living in single family homes.
So that is a very characterization of the community.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
We want to get the phone calls two families, was
that No, there could be some two families too. It
turns out Medford is just a little bit, a little
a slim majority of owners to renters. We're about fifty
three to forty owners to renters.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
But I would argue, not to argue, but I would
point out that I think most owners would represent a
minimum of a couple, uh and maybe with a child
or two or an in law parent living with them,
whereas renters, for the most part, are going to be
single individuals who are renting. Sore Again, if you if
(14:52):
you say renters or rather owners to rentors of fifty
three to forty seven in terms of people who live
in owner occupied houses versus folks who live in apartments.
I'll bet you that's much more, something on the order
of sixty or sixty five percent owners to thirty five
or thirty percent renters in my opinion, just in terms
of population. So anyway, let's keep going here. The only
(15:15):
lines open right now are six, one seven. I want
to go to Melanie from Medford. Melanie, your first this
hour on Night Side. Thanks so much for calling in.
What's your thought on this situation? Melanie?
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Oh?
Speaker 7 (15:28):
Yes, Hi, this is Melanie. I'm a longtime resident also
met for about thirty years, okay, and currently actually running
for city council because I'm totally against this, Sony.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Have you ever run before? Is this your first time running?
Speaker 7 (15:43):
This is my second run?
Speaker 4 (15:44):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Okay, okay, So this is really got you interested in it.
I think more people should get interested in it. Are
you running in a do you have both at large
seats there in district seats or is it or is
it more more district over at large? How does that
break down?
Speaker 7 (16:05):
They're all they're they're all at large right now?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Oh, so you've got to finish in what the top
seven in order to secure a seat. Okay, how did
you do last time?
Speaker 7 (16:15):
If I could ask, I got forty eight hundred votes.
I think I came in I think right around the
eighth or ninth.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
Well, something you're with with a little bit of a boost,
you should you should do well. What is your last name?
Speaker 7 (16:32):
Trengali?
Speaker 2 (16:35):
What do you have to say tonight? I just again,
I'm not going to turn it into a campaign commercial,
but thank you for identifying yourself. Go right ahead.
Speaker 7 (16:42):
Yeah, So, I just wanted to build up what Will
has already said. I've been involved in the zoning before.
This has been going on really since December January, and
as well said, there really wasn't a lot of notification
and it was an area in measure that has already
been rezoned. This area is closer to the Malden line
(17:02):
and we call it Salem Street basically, and there was
little notification, if any notification, or even actually community outreach
requesting for community engagement, and just so happened that the
members are the community. There's a few members of the
community that became aware of this and started their own
community outreach and engagement. This is a very tight knit neighborhood,
(17:25):
small mom and pop shops, a combination of single family
and two family residents, and there is a kind of
a main road that goes through it. It actually leads from
ninety three to Malden.
Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, I know that circle. I know that. I call
it the Medford Malden Circle. I know exactly where you're
talking about.
Speaker 7 (17:48):
Yep. So there was a group that finally got the
city council to organize some community meetings with the designers
on the architects. There was over h and fifty people
at one of these meetings where they really share their
thoughts that they were not happy with the zoning. The
architects did come back with some concessions. They didn't meet
(18:10):
all the concessions, but they did come back with some concessions,
and at the city council meeting at the eleventh hour,
basically one of ther members, Matt Lemming, made an amendment
to reverse the concessions and to go back to the
original zoning because he said that the zoning was too
watered down and not dense enough.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Wow. Well, you have two very different residential philosophies here,
butting heads. One is what Medford's been about for all
the years sounds to me like the radical group or
whatever it is, wants to turn Medford into kind of
a Summerville or a Cambridge sort of vibe. Is that
(18:53):
a off the wall characterization.
Speaker 7 (18:56):
No, I don't think so. I think they really want
a lot of density with the premise that it's going
to bring affordable housing. But I don't this process is
not going to bring a lot of affordable housing. To
be either affordable housing, you have to have at least
ten units. So many of these the way they re
size these lots were not necessarily fit ten units. Maybe
(19:20):
nine units, but not ten. And then, just to give
you an example from a visionary perspective, some of these
lots on Salem Street used to have a minimum requirement
of ten thousand square feet that has now been reduced
to three thousand square feet.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
For yeah, exactly, with thousand square three thousand square feet.
Speaker 3 (19:44):
Yes, I should interject that the Salem Street was the
Salem Street. The change was actually passed and it is
lawed out right.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Correct, And with three thousand square feet would be could
be something as small as forty by eighty that would
be thirty.
Speaker 7 (20:04):
Yeah, it's not that large.
Speaker 2 (20:07):
No, No, you're going to be living on top of each.
Speaker 7 (20:09):
Other, right, and the lock coverage would be eighty up
to eight. You can have a lot coverage up to
eighty percent of about that three thousand square foot lot.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
Well, you'd have to in order to have a house
on if it's forty to eighty square feet. I mean
it's it's like part of of the first base line
and then half of the first baseline the other with
versus the length. Wow, that's pretty.
Speaker 7 (20:32):
Small that yeah. And I think the heights up there
is pretty up there too. So when you think about this,
it's a very old historic town. Medford was historic buildings
down Salem Street and most of the buildings and no
more than two or three stories, and this I think
can go up to six for seven stories.
Speaker 2 (20:51):
Well, Melanie, I I think you've you've flushed it out
a little bit. I got a break for news here,
I got other callers from Medford and elsewhere. I do
appreciate you taking the time to call uh and and
I wish you're best of luck in your campaign. It's
Melanie train Galley is that he r?
Speaker 4 (21:10):
I n G A L I okay?
Speaker 2 (21:13):
Well, best of luck, Melanie. You sound like you know
what you're talking about and you're committed, and it's important
for people to get involved, and everybody in Medford should
get involved. So thanks Melanie, we'll talk again.
Speaker 4 (21:24):
Thank you, good night, good night.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
All right, we got to take the news here. I'm
a couple of minutes late. I probably should have given
should have gone to the news early. But we'll get
to the news right now. We get back on to
talk with Jill from Medford, Bill and Medford and John
and Weymouth. I got one line at six one seven,
two five, four ten thirty. One line at six one
seven nine three one ten thirty. My guest is Will Snyder.
I would consider a long time resident of Medford, about
(21:50):
twenty five years, and he is very much concerned about
this radical zoning resolution which will change forever what Medford
has always been, and that is a community for families
and for single family homes. Back on Nightside after this, It's.
Speaker 1 (22:08):
Night Side with Dan Ray on.
Speaker 4 (22:11):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Welcome back. I'm with Will Snyder. He is a homeowner
in Medford concerned about a a resident a change, a
dramatic change in the residential zoning law. Will. During the break,
I mentioned that the folks from our revolution are looking
to turn Medford into Somerville. Here's some statistics. You're a
(22:36):
statistical guy, so let me run this by you. Medford
does have about fifty nine thousand residents. Somerville next door
has eighty thousand, so they're kind of equivalent in size,
but Somerville is a third larger. Okay, Somerville has four
point two five percent square miles. Medford has eight point
(22:59):
eight six square miles, So Somerville is a third larger
in population and half the size of Medford. I mean,
this is clear that these folks are looking to turn
Medford into Somerville, and I think people in Medford should
be concerned. Let's see what Jill in Medford has to say.
(23:20):
Those stats that I just pulled off of the lady
who called was right. The woman who called was right.
At fifty nine thousand, some of those bigger, about a
third bigger on half the size of Medford. Jill, you
were next on nightside.
Speaker 6 (23:35):
Welcome, Welcome, thank you. I've been living in Medford for
twenty five years. I came from triple deckers in Somerville,
and I'm kind of agreeing with you that that's what's happening,
and I feel a lot of pressure from them to
do this and to do this right away, and I
don't feel like they're being very straightforward. They're giving us
(23:56):
choices of a lot of detail, but they're not really
explaining what the problem is to begin with that they're solving.
So they're trying to change the whole city all overnight
when we don't even know that they're going to fix anything.
I'm not against affordable units, particularly for like elderly parents
(24:17):
or kids that want to stay in town, for people
that are committed to this city, for people that want
to expand a little bit of the land they live on,
and you know, for their families. But this is like
bringing everybody and there, you know, just filling up the
place and making it dense for no particular reason. I
(24:37):
live in a on the main street coming from Medford
Center to West Medford Center, and the house across the
across the street from me is from eighteen hundred, and
the one diagonally across the street from me is from
the Revolution. And my house is ninety seven years old,
(24:58):
and so is the house next door to me.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
So this is a this.
Speaker 6 (25:02):
Is a at least our part of the city has
a lot of character and mostly single family homes on
the main street driving through, and I really think they're
just going to destroy the towne into something that I
don't even want to live in.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
Well, I think that's I think that's the point we're making, Jill,
and I think you've identified it well. And that is
then people move to different communities for different reasons. Maybe
it's the schools, maybe it's an occupation, maybe it's again
some convenience, whether it's you know, a cab you know,
uh mbta uh. And people moved to Memphor because they
(25:38):
like the vibe of Medford. Now these folks have come in,
they got themselves elected, and they're going to change the
vibe and they're going to change the community. And once
it changes and you have, you know a lot of
multi family units and high end condominiums, you know that
Medford will never be Medford again.
Speaker 6 (25:57):
In my opinion, only that. But those people aren't going
to work on a stay because they want to put
like two triple deckers on my property and maybe a
dwelling unit you know behind it. I mean, no one's
going to want to live here by the time that
people the first people buy and find out that everybody
around them. You know, I have a garden. I have
(26:18):
gardens all around me. That's not going to exist if
they're triple deckers around me. What about solar panels? How
are they going to work? If they're people, you know,
and they're going to have a five foot distance in
front of you, that's not the same as living here
the way it is now.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
So a five yard setback from the sidewalk is fifteen feet.
Speaker 3 (26:42):
It's five five foot sideyard, and they're reducing the front
yard to from fifteen to ten feet. So you could have,
you know, in parts in single family areas, you could
have three stories five feet from your property line.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
Well, again, the word has got to get out some
years out because if not measured. Yeah, it's just you
have Somerville turned some of them. If they really want
to build some affordable you know, some good affordable housing,
they can find places in communities, and they can also
move out and out from the city a little bit.
(27:18):
I mean there's you know, take a plane ride across
Massachusetts or a helicopter ride. There's wide open spaces where
communities could be planned and built. Why destroy a community
like Medford that's been around for a long time, and we're.
Speaker 3 (27:35):
Actually we've done our part. We you know, we have
we we already comply with the MBTA Section three A
rule because we have a six thousand units at Wellington
Station and there's some hundreds more units being proposed, like
the the Capi's Liquor property developer just today announced they
want to put up two hundred and forty eight units there.
(27:57):
And I just want to you know, you want to
compare that to how many blocks that legal family you
have to convert.
Speaker 2 (28:02):
Okay when you say Copies Liquor, when you see, yeah,
that's the one at the near Root sixteen.
Speaker 3 (28:07):
Right right, we call that the super collider thereby Wellington. Yeah,
they're in that big intersection.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
That's that's right now where iHeart is. Yeah. The studios
are on you know, the headquarters run Cat Road.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
Yeah, but I mean to put so they're building. I mean,
Medford has lots lots and lots of units already and uh,
we comply with the with the section the section three
A law. And you you want to just ask, you know,
how many how many single family homes do you have
to replace with triple deckers to put in twinter and
forty eight units. That's blocks and blocks and blocks.
Speaker 2 (28:44):
Yeah, you know, the our revolution people are never going
to be satisfied.
Speaker 6 (28:50):
I've voted for the revolution people because that's some very
good things. And they said they wanted affordable housing, and
I thought, you know, elderly people should be able to
in this town. You know, kids should be able to
stay in this town. But that's not what they're talking
about it all.
Speaker 2 (29:05):
Jill, Jill, you got snookered.
Speaker 6 (29:09):
You like that, and uh, you got to talk a
lot of the meetings and I you know, they keep saying, Oh,
it's not going to happen all of a sudden, it's not.
Speaker 1 (29:17):
Going to be like they plakate you.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Of course they do. They put your mind at ease.
It's like it's as simple as that. I mean, I've
seen this happen in so many communities. Look at look
at it in New York. They just nominated the Democrats
just nominated an out and now socialist who want that's
gonna be great for New York City. Jill, I appreciate it.
Get out there and make your fight for your city, Jill,
(29:42):
fight for you.
Speaker 6 (29:43):
So I will do that. And I'm glad to hear
that Melanie is on our team.
Speaker 2 (29:46):
So well, you guys got to make connections. They connect,
they know who the team is. You got to know
who's on your team and expand your team. Thank you, Jill.
I appreciate your call very much. We got to take
a quick break here. I'm sorry my guest Will Snyder
from Medford. Will I get a little wound up about
these things, and I'm really sorry. I don't mean to
to jump in here as much, but I feel very
(30:09):
strongly I have friends in these communities long term.
Speaker 3 (30:11):
Sure you're doing great. Yeah, the main you know, the
main goal is just to make sure that you know
as many people as possible know about this and understand
the scope so that they can Yeah.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
I mean if everybody, if everyone in Medford understood and
then voted and this is what they really wanted. Fine,
But if a group of people come in and they're
slick enough to basically tell people what they think they
want to hear, and then once they get in power,
exercise that power autocratically. No, not in my world. We'll
take a quick break, coming right back. I want to
(30:43):
get Bill in Medford. I got John Wayne with Leland
and JP everything we're rolling here coming back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (30:49):
It's night Side with Ray.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (30:55):
My guest is Will Snyd, a long time Medford resident
concerned about a matic change in the Medford residential zoning laws.
Let's go to Bill in Medford. Bill, you're next on Nightsaker,
right ahead.
Speaker 1 (31:07):
Hi, Dan, thank you for picking up my call. I
want to thank Will for putting this all together tonight.
I don't know Will, but I'd like to meet Will.
Just Melanie's great. I hope everybody votes a Melanie. So
let me get right into this cause I know I
only have like a few minutes, so I'm in the same.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Boat as well.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
I bought We bought a house around two thousand and three.
We bought it off of a family member, so this
is this is the second owner of the house. I'm
and I live in a great neighborhood. We bought in
a single family area for a reason. For a reason,
if people in Medford want to take a look at
what's what this will look like, please take a ride
down Hadley Street, right off the Salem Street, and they
(31:44):
will see the big monstrosity of units that they put
in next to this small, little, tiny house. That's existing there.
It's I feel so bad for those people. It's it's
it's horrible. There's so much undeveloped land in this in
Medford that they could uh that they could put high
rises in, that they can stay, that they could stay
away from our neighborhoods. So and just real quick, Dan,
(32:09):
I have to touch on the Our Revolution. People don't
realize how dangerous the Our Revolution group is. They're a
national group. They came in here about five years ago.
You talk about Zoron, the moron from New York that
just got elected. He's a Democratic socialist. All five of
these six members are self admitted Democratic socialists. They say it,
(32:30):
they don't hide it, they say it. There's one there's
one councilor that fights tooth and nail for us every
single week who is bullied. George George Scott Pelly. He's
rerunning and I hope everybody votes him back in. He's
he's been, he's a long time city council number. He's
great for our community. He's done. He fights for us
every week.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
What is missed the name.
Speaker 1 (32:53):
His name is George Scott Pelly.
Speaker 2 (32:55):
George Pelly.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
Okay, okay, He's a non hour revolution.
Speaker 3 (33:01):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Some things like I was on with you, Dan a
few years ago, I was running for school committee. This
is the same Our Revolution group that changed the name
of the Columbus group that the changed the name of
the Columbus School. They have agendas. Okay. Two years ago,
the sitting president now of the city Council, Zach Viz,
he's an Our Revolution. He opened up city Hall on
(33:23):
a Saturday night to have his friend from New Jersey
command to promote his book. And that book was on
rezoning and building up into neighborhoods and density. Okay, so at.
Speaker 2 (33:33):
Least they're honest. At least they're honest about what they
want to do. You got to give them that. Bill.
Speaker 1 (33:38):
Oh, let me tell you, Dan, they're the best used
cast salesman around.
Speaker 2 (33:41):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (33:42):
Like like Jill said, she was sold, she was sold elemon,
You know she really was sold eleven.
Speaker 2 (33:47):
It happens all the time, Bill, this is a yours
was a great call. Please keep me posted on this story.
I know Will will h and I'd like to well
to try to help you folks.
Speaker 1 (33:59):
Dan, I have to reiterate to everybody, please look into
the Our Revolution. They're not They're they're jaters, Dan. These
people come in, they're unknown, they can they move into
the city, and they're topping the ticket. How people can't
figure out how this is even possible because not.
Speaker 2 (34:14):
Enough people vote. Bill, Listen, you're right, here's the deal.
In the city of Boston, Okay, you have city council
elections where it's a boto turnout of sixteen or seventeen percent.
That's how they went. Bill. Do you not know? Do you? Guys?
You and Will don't know one another.
Speaker 1 (34:32):
I do not know.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (34:34):
You can go find me on some of the local
Facebook groups and you can get in touch.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
I got a better idea. If you want, Bill, leave
you a number with Rob Brooks. I get a better idea. Bill,
leave your number with Rob Brooks, and Rob will give
that to Will before he leaves tonight.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Okay, okay, and again, anybody in Metric listening, please get
out and vote. It's it's I've been saying this for
five years now. I've been screaming at the top of
my lungs. Please get out and vogue. It's very important
to the city. This is not I think this is gonna.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
Be our last chance. I think we're gonna lose. Thank
you for listening, and there are going to be there
are going to be at least eight challengers to eight
or nine challengers, and there's gonna be a primary in September.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
Yep. Okay, well again, make sure you you vet your
people and you and you know what they want to do.
Let me go real quickly here to John in Weymouth. John,
you have been holding on. You're the non Minford caller
of the hour. Go ahead, John, gotta be quick.
Speaker 4 (35:30):
Okay, I'll be real quick in and we'll pleasure to
hate you tonight.
Speaker 3 (35:36):
Thanks.
Speaker 4 (35:38):
I've lived them Wayne, my entire life.
Speaker 2 (35:41):
My wife, do me a favorite. I have no idea
why you why your voice is so muffled? John, Please
get the microphone near your mouth so we can hear
what you gotta say. Okay, oh, hugely better, go ahead.
Speaker 4 (35:54):
Okay, all we were really concerned in Waynmouth. It's not
the sony. We're always just gonnacerned about the budgets of
the first responders. And we are also concerned about being
able to have our retirements match what our mortgages were
so we could live there throughout our retirement.
Speaker 2 (36:16):
Well, you know what you got to do. John, I
don't want to take away from Will's time tonight or
from the Medford issues, So do me favors. Hold on.
Rob will give you my direct number and I'll be
happy to talk to you about the issues that you're
concerned about. A way with that. I'll do, if possible,
to do a program on that. So leave you a
number or Rob will give you mind never you can
call me during the day.
Speaker 4 (36:36):
Okay, okay, thanks Davis.
Speaker 2 (36:39):
Stay right there, Rob give him the direct line. Let
me go to Paul in Medford. Paul, I saw you
hanging up there, hanging on here. I gotta get you
in and go ahead.
Speaker 3 (36:46):
Paul, Hi, how are you Dan? Thanks for doing this.
Speaker 2 (36:49):
You got to be quick for me, buddy. We're running
out of time.
Speaker 5 (36:52):
So they already changed his zoning on Mystic Av. Mystic
Av is the gateway to the city. It's full of
car use car lots. And what they need to do
is build up Mystic Av like they did Assembly Row.
Start there because the infrastructure is already in place and
(37:12):
they can do it. Instead of starting in the neighborhoods,
working in the neighborhoods North Medford, South Medford, West Medford,
stick to what they have on Mystic avat. So everybody's
saying Medfiord is a town, Medford is a city.
Speaker 2 (37:29):
Absolutely is a city. Absolutely.
Speaker 3 (37:33):
I have to correct people on that.
Speaker 2 (37:35):
That's okay, Well, there's no one in this program. I
think it's referred to it as a town. I think
we're refers to city, just as Somerville is a city.
But Medford has a very different character and feel to
it than Somerville. We talked about the acreags, the area,
the square mileage of Somerville much smaller half the size
of Medford, and they have a third more population. And
(37:57):
that's what this group would like to do. Turn Medford
into this into another into this like summer feel simple
as that, Paul, I'm flat out of time. I got
you in. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (38:06):
I got to thank you very much.
Speaker 5 (38:07):
I have a great night.
Speaker 4 (38:08):
Thank you all right, You're welcome.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
Will.
Speaker 2 (38:11):
I thought this was a really interesting hour. It talks
about what is going on in one city. Please keep
in touch with us. You represented your mad position really well.
Speaker 3 (38:22):
Thank you and thank you so much for helping us
get the word out.
Speaker 2 (38:26):
How can people Is there a way in which people
can get to your group or to your organization who
are listening to that.
Speaker 3 (38:32):
We're mostly just a loosely, loosely organized group of neighbors
here and we're trying to reach out to other neighborhoods.
I mean, the first the first place, the first place
to start is just go to Medford Medford dot org,
the Medford ma A dot org website and click on
zoning information. It's kind of confusing, but at least that's
a place to start. And there's also local Facebook groups
(38:55):
with lots of controversy about this.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
Okay, sounds sounds great. Keep us posted. Okay, thank you
so much. Will my pleasure to talk to you soon.
We'll come back right after the ten o'clock news. We're
going to talk about a strike potential strike at Fenway Park,
and we're not talking about baseball, talking about a union
strike of the concessionaires.
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