To inform voters of candidates' views on local housing issues, members of Housing Medford's Elections Working Group designed this questionnaire for candidates that highlights several housing issues currently relevant to Medford.
The questionnaire was sent on Tuesday, September 19th, and candidates were invited to answer these questions and submit their answers via Google Form by midnight on Tuesday, October 3rd 2023 (Mayoral candidates by Tuesday, October 10th). All candidates except George Scarpelli confirmed receipt of the questionnaire.
Some questions were open-ended, and some had multiple-choice options where candidates could indicate their support. For the multiple-choice questions they were also given the option to explain more in a follow-up.
Housing Medford will not endorse any candidates this election cycle, but we hope this information can be useful for Medford voters. We extend our sincere thanks to all candidates who took time to complete the questionnaire!"
1a. For decades, cities and towns in the Greater Boston Area (including Medford) have failed to produce an adequate supply of housing to meet increasing demand. Do you believe Medford has an obligation to address this by supporting the creation of additional housing stock within the city?
1b. Please explain more (optional):
2. How would you respond to major development proposals (e.g., proposals using chapter 40B) that would contribute significantly toward increasing Medford’s housing supply?
3. There is currently a housing crisis across Massachusetts, as sale prices and rental costs rise far beyond what many people can afford, and Medford is no exception. In general, what approach will you take to address housing affordability in Medford?
4a. Have you personally known anyone who was forced to leave Medford due to the high cost of housing?
4b. How can the City support households who are struggling with the escalating cost of housing and displacement from their homes?
5. How would you serve Medford residents and families who are experiencing housing instability or homelessness?
6a. Have you personally known anyone who has encountered housing discrimination in Medford?
6b. What can the City do to promote and enforce fair housing?
7. Low-income housing in Massachusetts has historically been under-resourced, and some of Medford’s public housing is in substandard condition. How would you support public housing residents?
8. In 2023, Medford established an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. How would you support its funding?
9a. Would you support the dedication of City-owned property to create affordable housing?
9b. Please explain more (optional):
10. Do you have anything else you would like to highlight or add regarding housing in Medford?
1a. For decades, cities and towns in the Greater Boston Area (including Medford) have failed to produce an adequate supply of housing to meet increasing demand. Do you believe Medford has an obligation to address this by supporting the creation of additional housing stock within the city?
Yes
Yes
1b. Please explain more (optional):
[ Answer to main question: Yes ]
We have a housing crisis across our Commonwealth and the City of Medford is no exception. My team and I have been diligently working on addressing this crisis during my time in office, establishing Medford’s first Housing Production Plan that documents our current housing needs and recommends ways to create a mix of housing types for different income levels, kicking off a Comprehensive Planning process to set a shared vision for Medford's growth, and calculating Medford’s General Land Area Minimum, known as (GLAM), qualifying Medford for Safe Harbor status and giving the City a voice and a seat at the table with respect to large-scale residential developments (40Bs). That allowed us to negotiate a 350 unit development where 88 units will be affordable. We have more work to do, but I am committed to working with the city council, state leaders and local stakeholders to increase our housing supply and ensure our community is an affordable place to live.
2. How would you respond to major development proposals (e.g., proposals using chapter 40B) that would contribute significantly toward increasing Medford’s housing supply?
First and foremost, in order to adequately and efficiently respond to proposals for development in Medford, we need to fill the crucial positions in City Hall including Chief Financial Officer and Economic Development Director, and City Solicitor. I believe chapter 40B proposals that are friendly to developers are crucial to increasing Medford’s housing supply and making it affordable for families to live here.
We know that to reach our housing goals we need to move our City towards smart growth, which includes prioritizing building more density near public transit. In our Housing Production Plan, the City’s first ever plan to outline how we can meet Medford’s current and future housing needs in the future, it identifies ways we can move major development proposals forward in a strategic way. I was also able to calculate Medford’s General Land Area Minimum, known as (GLAM), qualifying Medford for Safe Harbor status and giving the City a voice and a seat at the table with respect to large-scale residential developments (40Bs).
Also, we are not only responding to major developments, we are working towards bringing more into Medford, especially to create more housing. Two examples of that are our work on the vacant lots in medford Square and the RFI we did on the 28 acres of air rights we own above the Wellington T station.
3. There is currently a housing crisis across Massachusetts, as sale prices and rental costs rise far beyond what many people can afford, and Medford is no exception. In general, what approach will you take to address housing affordability in Medford?
I believe that fair and affordable housing is a human right. While the current Mayor has fought against multiple housing developments, I’ve supported a Fair Housing and Human Rights Commission ordinance for the city. I recognize the urgency of the situation, and want to dedicate more city resources to ensure everyone in Medford can live and thrive. If elected Mayor, I will continue this work, and prioritize affordable housing in our community.
The single most pressing issue facing Medford is the rising cost of living, especially the cost of housing. We urgently need to build more housing that is affordable to our community, attract smart growth and economic development to increase our tax base, and update our antiquated zoning laws, all while preserving the character of our neighborhoods.
We know we can’t do this extensive work alone. That’s why we’ve leveraged $400,000 in federal grant funding to support the Medford Housing Authority’s renovation projects at 121 Riverside Avenue and Walkling Court which will add close to 125 new affordable housing units to the two facilities.
I worked with the City Council and Department heads to craft a new zoning ordinance that was adopted last year. Thanks to this collaborative work, we are now requiring more community input during the development process. The new ordinance provides a clear and concise roadmap for future construction projects to follow that adhere to the my administration’s priorities of community engagement and smart, sustainable development.
I worked with the City Council to establish a new zoning district, called a Planned Development District, which encourages proposals that specify a mixture of commercial, industrial, residential, open space or other uses. I am thrilled that due to this effort on expanding housing options, there are seven housing development projects currently underway that will add nearly 500 new units onto the market. This is just the beginning but by prioritizing smart, sustainable housing and commercial growth, we’re doing all we can to keep families, workers and our seniors here in Medford.
We have made great strides by creating our Housing Production Plan to recommend ways to create a mix of housing types for different income levels.
4a. Have you personally known anyone who was forced to leave Medford due to the high cost of housing?
Yes
Yes
4b. How can the City support households who are struggling with the escalating cost of housing and displacement from their homes?
The Medford City Council passed an ordinance prohibiting short term rentals, and the current administration is not enforcing it. As a result, vital housing units needed for Medford families are being rented well above market rent on a short term basis, driving up the costs for everyone. Simply enforcing the existing rules will go a long way to mitigate the rising cost of housing and displacement for residents.
There is a lot the City can do to support households struggling with the cost of living or facing displacement. During my time as Mayor, we have secured a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant from the state. This was a major win for the City and is helping our residents adapt to a variety of critical health and economic issues. We help financially support work that ABCD and Housing families do for our residents. We had a seminar for our residents where agencies supporting their needs, presented and educated. We have used ARPA funding on mailers to let Tenants know their rights and what the city and agencies have to offer. We can also take steps like the most recently approved notification ordinance that the city council passed.
5. How would you serve Medford residents and families who are experiencing housing instability or homelessness?
Ending homelessness requires a total community response. If elected mayor, my administration would prioritize connecting those residents experiencing homelessness with the appropriate resources they need to regain safe sustainable housing. I would also pursue grant opportunities at the federal and state level.
Similar to my above answer, the City has taken critical action to help residents dealing with housing and economic instability. From securing the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Grant from the state, helping our residents adapt to a variety of critical health and economic issues to funding the work ABCD and Housing families do for our residents, we have focused on addressing the most urgent needs directly. As I mentioned, we also had a seminar for our residents where agencies supporting their needs provided critical information, worked with the City Hall on their notification ordinance, and used ARPA funding to educate tenants on their rights and potential supports available. I will continue to do everything I can to prevent homelessness and housing insecurity for Medford
6a. Have you personally known anyone who has encountered housing discrimination in Medford?
No
Yes
6b. What can the City do to promote and enforce fair housing?
As stated above, the city should enforce the ban on short term rental housing to help reduce the strain on Medford housing and rental prices.
The City can continue to educate residents about their housing rights and ensure they know they have resources available to them. We also can enforce our housing standards and address complaints with landlords or companies known to be violating tenant rights.
7. Low-income housing in Massachusetts has historically been under-resourced, and some of Medford’s public housing is in substandard condition. How would you support public housing residents?
A central part of my campaign is making Medford a welcoming community for every resident, whether that be home-owners, renters, residents of public housing, or anything in between. As stated above, I support a Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Program. This means supporting public housing residents to make progress toward achieving economic self-sufficiency by way of educational opportunities, job training, and parenting support resources.
As mayor, I was proud to support renovations and expansions of units at our Housing Authority Facilities to improve conditions and create more affordable housing within our community. We were able to secure and allocate hundreds of thousands in grant funding and ARPA funds to reduce the burden on taxpayers, while making these long-overdue investments. I will continue to prioritize our public housing as your mayor. By supporting the housing authority they are adding close to 125 new units and rehabbing the rest at the Riverside Ave and Walkling court locations.
8. In 2023, Medford established an Affordable Housing Trust Fund. How would you support its funding?
I believe that the Affordable Housing Trust Fund has been a great step in the right direction for affordable housing in our community. As a City Council member, I voted in favor of its establishment. For funding, I support a real estate transfer fee on the sale of property and setting a percentage of the city’s Community Preservation Act funds to the trust. These are ways to ensure the Fund has adequate resources without discouraging development.
By selling some vacant lots and putting that funding into the Trust, we would be able to build on other city owned lots. We are exploring all of this now and will continue to find ways to fund the trust.
9a. Would you support the dedication of City-owned property to create affordable housing?
Yes
Yes
9b. Please explain more (optional):
10. Do you have anything else you would like to highlight or add regarding housing in Medford?
(NO ANSWER)
(NO ANSWER)