Early in my career, I worked under a US National Park Service grant administered by the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office. My job was to help identify, chronicle, and protect some of the state’s most treasured historic resources.
Latest News
We’ve compiled a collection of recent articles and letters to the editor for your one-stop viewing below. Visit the Gloucester Daily Times website for ongoing coverage.
Yes for Gloucester Chair Appears on Good Morning Gloucester
Yes for Gloucester Chair Jack Clarke sits down with Planning Board member Shawn Henry to discuss the details of what it means to vote YES on April 24.
Housing4All Gloucester, alongside other leading community service agencies, emphatically endorses the YES for Gloucester campaign, recognizing the urgent need to address the city’s housing and economic challenges through the proposed Multi-Family Overlay District zoning plan and compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities Act/Section 3A zoning law.
The 3A overlay zoning law is an exciting opportunity for homeowners to create three-family homes, expanding from the current limit of two. With a height limit of just under 35 feet, this plan is designed to comply with the law, not to mandate construction. It’s a proactive step for Gloucester to stay compliant and benefit from this new zoning flexibility.
My first memory of home was 30 miles south of here in the Chelsea housing projects. Driving down the line to Boston, these are the big brick buildings lining either side of the curve of Route 1 as you head on to the Tobin Bridge entryway.
A big thank you to Paul Lundberg for his insightful commentary, “Zoning good for Gloucester” in the Feb. 7 edition of the Times. Mr. Lundberg highlights some excellent points, particularly noting that the area by the Railroad Avenue Shaws is excluded from the Multi-Family Overlay District, as are Burham Field and Emerald Forest. I’ve heard those rumors, too!
In her successful lawsuit against the Town of Milton over the constitutionality of the MBTA Communities Zoning Act (aka 3A), and the authority of the attorney general to carry out its provisions, AG Andrea Campbell submitted to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court a tough, stark, and eye-opening remedy to carry out its provisions against scofflaw communities — the appointment of an independent special master to write the local zoning for recalcitrant communities (Attorney General v. Town of Milton, Complaint and Brief No. SJ-2024, Section G.)
One would have to be heartless not to be moved by Alyssa Craigen’s story.
On April 24, the voters of Gloucester will have the opportunity to endorse the Multi-family Overlay District zoning ordinance (MFOD) passed unanimously by the City Council last fall.
She has been forced to move 12 times in the last 14 years. But Alyssa Craigen of Essex is undaunted in her search for housing. She is motivated by the responsibilities of being a single parent to her three children, ages 16, 20 and 21.
To the editor: On April 24 we will vote to accept the Section 3A zoning ordinance our elected officials crafted. We urge you to join us and vote YES to accept it. Here’s why we’re voting YES.
It will cost Gloucester taxpayers about $36,200 to hold a citizen-petition-driven special election in April to determine if residents approve or disapprove of zoning rules meant to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, city councilors learned Tuesday night.
In response to John Kolackovsky’s letter (“Our dictatorial, blundering governor has once again crossed the line,” Gloucester Daily Times) on Jan, 17, to address several points raised. They are both misleading and unnecessarily alarmist.
On Jan. 8, the Commonwealth’s Supreme Judicial Court, in a case brought by the town of Milton, said yes to both matters — yes, 3A is constitutional, and, yes, the AG can enforce it.
If the MBTA Communities Act/3A multifamily overlay district generates more than 10 new units in a year, that will be a miracle. If the strategic plan is implemented as written, that will be a miracle as well.
A petition circulated last year asking if Gloucester voters wanted to vote on “3A” was an abuse of the right to vote. Misinformation and no information put the city and its citizens in a precarious position.
In two weeks, Gloucester City Council plans to vote on an April 24 date for a special election for its now citizen-petition-suspended Multi-family Overlay District zoning rules meant bring the seaport into compliance with the controversial MBTA Communities Act.
Some say the state Supreme Judicial Court’s ruling Wednesday has not changed the need for Gloucester to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, designed to address the housing crunch in Massachusetts cities that have the benefit of public transportation.
In a warning to communities along the MBTA system, the state’s highest court has affirmed the Attorney General’s authority to sue cities and towns to force them to comply with a state law requiring them to develop multifamily housing near public transit.
It’s the time of year for New Year’s resolutions. And I’ve got a good one to share. Help secure Gloucester’s 3A/MBTA plan!
Even when the result is not in your favor, your participation still counts. The MBTA Communities Act, also known as 3A, is binding and can’t be disregarded at will. Choosing non-compliance does not make the 3A law go away.
Every year, the management team puts on a big spread, catered by the Causeway, for our community.
While the right to vote is crucial in local governance, the petition’s approval has serious consequences for Gloucester.
Come New Year’s Day, Gloucester will be out of compliance with MBTA Communities Act guidelines, making it ineligible for millions in state grants, some of which the city was set to receive, until a vote can be held on its new multifamily overlay zoning rules.