Whew, aren’t you exhausted from the rezoning postponements? It’s been five weeks since the last hearing on the proposals and coming up on five months slogging through the minutia of the details. The latest delays have come from a vacation delay for Greg Cademartori in case the City Council needed any questions answered but now, he’s back and they should be ready to declare, hopefully.
But along the way, what has seemed to have surprised the planners behind the rezoning proposals has been the wall of citizens’ opposition who sincerely believe that it threatens a quality of life, a density and character in their neighborhoods that is worth fighting for. But the planners don’t quite get what the residents are so upset about. They are amazed, alarmed and, yes, angry that mere people should think so strongly that Gloucester is anything special or different from the rest of America where development rules local business and politics. In the last couple of hearings, there has been a disdain for those who are opposed but don’t have a land planning degree to explain their opposition. Some involved have stated that those voices shouldn’t be counted. Yes, that subject has actually come up from Planning Board members and even one councilor not keeping his cards very close to his chest. No one would blame you for not remembering which meeting that was at, because frankly, it has been soooo long in getting here.
But most of the councilors don’t appear to think that way. The majority get why neighbors are threatened by these changes. We’ve all listened as the main reason behind the effort has switched from affordable housing, then housing stock in general and back to affordable housing. Former Council President Paul Lundberg stated in the last meeting that it was all to bring affordable housing to us and our own Gloucester Daily Times ran an editorial that theorized that opponents were against affordable housing and just sought to get their share and then “pull up the ladder behind them.” They didn’t seem to get the tenor of the opposition or to have listened to the opponents arguments. Few affordable units will result in these changes.
But the opponents of the rezoning weren’t organized in any way. They came out of the woodwork in every ward, to fight for that character and livability of their neighborhoods and further, to question environmental, traffic, parking and infrastructure issues as well as the motivations behind the changes. It is no coincidence that the Transit Overlay District plan (the next battle) describes Gloucester as a Major Regional Boston Hub. Seems like this thinking influenced our local zoning planners. What ever happened to the Comprehensive Master Plan, which emphasized neighborhood character and, importantly, existing density as determining factors in development? That is too old fashioned for our go-go Planners who have failed to update the required plan for 20 years and have no replacement Master Plan on the drawing boards.
But if they did, they would face the same thinking by the residents as now. The councilors know all this. They have played their hands closely and have listened to their citizens. and there were a lot of folks to listen to. The ward meetings showed about a 25-1 margin opposed. For the most part, it was those connected to the real estate industry or banking who were for the rezoning. Of course, for they know these changes would bring a bunch of activity and new business into their coffers. The councilors are aware of this too. They get an “A” for listening. They must also wonder why if the rezoning “won’t result in many new houses” (as the planners stated), that so many people have attended so many meetings, written so many letters, so many more letters, and, doggedly, stayed on the case all through the delays.
The City Council called for the ward meetings and they got an earful. I was proud of our citizenry for turning out and speaking up, sometimes waiting through delays and other agenda items and interminable rebuttals from planners who would jump in to naysay their concerns without even being asked a question. Most times, the attending Planning Board member would obscure the point raised by the resident without their asking. It was sometimes shocking how peoples’ opinions were disrespected simply because they were opposed or didn’t have the professional language to fit their objection.
However, the Council and the residents stuck it out. They Zoomed so many hours of meetings — everyone got to speak who wanted to. Ward 1 took 5 and-a-half hours. The last Council public hearing was pretty close to that. If the pro-rezoning side thought the delays could provide a path to passage, it’s not clear if they succeeded. Opposition by the public, in the paper and, hopefully, by the councilors that represent them remains where it was — at a huge margin — opposed to changing the character of our beloved Gloucester. Be brave — o, you leaders.
Gloucester resident Gordon Baird is an actor and musician, co-founder of Musician magazine and producer of “The Chicken Shack” community access TV show.
