🔨 Point of Order, Point of Information…
The Chaotic Mess of Last Night's Council Meeting
What a month, Framingham.
Let’s talk about last night’s joint meeting with the Council and Planning Board. It was not Framingham’s best moment.
Point of Order, Point of Information…
What was supposed to be a public hearing in front of the Council and the Planning Board, turned instead into an 80 minute tense, frantic and at times, shouty, meeting of the Council..with a lot of yelling “Point of Order” or “Point of Information” to interrupt the conversation.
The public hearing itself never occurred.
How it was supposed to go: At the beginning of the hearing, Council Chair Phil Ottaviani read the legal notice and laid out how the hearing would proceed. The Mayor, the Planning Board Chair and the Director of Planning and Community Development would speak. The hearing would take place, then the Planning Board would deliberate right there, and make a verbal report to the Council. Once the report was made the Planning Board would close their meeting. Then the Council would begin their deliberations. A meeting was scheduled for tomorrow night if need be.
How it happened instead: The Mayor read a statement first commenting on the negative attacks on himself, the Planning Board and the Council, then briefly discussed the Memorandum of Agreement from J&Co regarding the Edmands parcel.
“For the past several months we have witnessed vitriolic attacks on myself, members of my administration, members of the Planning Board and the City Council, along with some of their family members. These behaviors have been tearing apart the fabric of the City, creating a divide that we have not seen in many years…
I want to make it very clear that I had no role whatsoever in the drafting or preparation of this document. It was the sole work of the developer’s attorney. Unfortunately, many of the comments and extreme criticism that have been made continuously repeat misinformation. ”
He closed by saying it is important the entire community supports these initiatives and the Council should “pass the MBTA Communities Act.”
Planning Board Chair Kristina Johnson said the board had been working on compliance since March of this year. And expressed her appreciation to the residents and Councilors who participated in the 5-6 workshops held over the summer on this topic.
Sarkis Sarkisian, Director of Planning and Community Development, walked through the new proposal with the 8 mods suggested by the Council. George King made a suggestion to take a straw poll to see where councilors stand on the two major issues - complying with the December 31 deadline and Nobscot.
This set off a chain of discussion about particular parcels, how to streamline the process, what parcels are what, requests for more documentation.
Is there a deadline?: The MBTA Communities Act guidelines give a deadline of December 31, 2024 to submit plans to the Commonwealth. It was clear the Council was willing to go beyond the deadline because they were guidelines, and not state law.
Council Ignores Deadline: Councilor Mike Cannon, then Councilor Janet Leombruno made a motion to table the entire discussion.
Thus began the debate regarding how long it should be tabled. Some suggested until the Supreme Judicial Court makes its decision regarding the Milton case, others January, then February.
The chaos continued with more back and forth, more points of order and points of information.
How did this end?: At 8:30pm, the Council ended up voting 6-4-1 (Cannon, Leombruno, Long, Ward, Ottaviani and King - Mallach, White Harvey, Steiner and Bryant - Alexander) to table the MBTA discussion until February 4. During the time, the Sisitsky Administration is to produce studies and documentations that have been requested - including on cost analysis on changing parcels from commercial to residential, impacts, and infrastructure - to help inform their decision.
The end, end: Once the vote took place, the public got up to leave, yet neither the Council or the Planning Board made a motion to adjourn. You can watch the video below to get a sense of the meeting.
My Thoughts
Below are my comments I was planning on giving last night with minor changes to reflect the results of the meeting. Since I did not get that opportunity, I am sharing them here.
Framingham is going through major growing pains, and we need a remedy before the pain is too great and paralyzes the community we love.
Framingham needs to do its part in tackling the housing crisis. The MBTA Communities Act can be a good thing for us - if it was looked at through the lens of our values and neighborhoods. Tossing parcels against the wall to see if it sticks without input or study will not help our city do its part.
We need to start over with a better way forward:
First, reject the existing proposals.
Second, let's finish this process thoughtfully, not frantically. Just because the process was tabled, does not mean everything should come to a screeching halt. No one wants to gather on February 4 still angry and frustrated with no progress.
Third, only use parcels already vetted and studied by Framingham with clear buy-in from residents. Properties like Pinefield, Shoppers World, and the cinema don't meet the criteria. Those properties need master planning. The closing of a hardware store should not mean apartments should immediately be built, nor should such a major center of commerce be handed over to developers without the buy-in and planning from Framingham.
Instead, re-advertise a map with the following:
B4 zoning in Nobscot Village: B4 already provides for a walkable, mixed-use area. Neighbors worked with the Planning Board years ago on this zone to revitalize their village. 300 more units can be built in the zone, on top of the 158 units under construction. The Edmands developer would tell you this is “paper zoning” - it is not.
The Staples parking lot (9/90): Long considered for residential development without impacting existing businesses, keeping it to the parking lot allows for the rest of the area to be thoughtfully planned for future purposes. Put the density here.
Downzoning the Central Business District: Right now 12,777 multifamily units can be built under the current CBD zoning. At the start of this process, the focus was on “downzoning” Downtown to make it more manageable and provide necessary housing. Replace the existing zoning with new zoning. Take credit for the nearly 2,000 units already built, in construction, or permitted. All of this preserves retail and mixed-use opportunities, crucial for a thriving downtown.
This isn’t about town vs city, or north vs south. The online rhetoric, rumors and finger pointing have zero place in this conversation. Tearing people - and their family members - down is no way to encourage decision making and doing what is right for Framingham.
It is my hope the MCA is a turning point for Framingham.
A moment when Framingham said enough. When it decided to roll up its sleeves, be proactive and take control of its future, and not get bogged down by the same old, same old.
How can the city expect to move forward and build a Framingham for future generations if it cannot get out of its own way?
Let's work together for a Framingham that benefits everyone. Thank you.
What advice do you have for the Council and the Mayor? Email me and I will publish your comments in the upcoming issue.
In Closing…
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and a Happy New Year!
If you are looking for something to do on NYE, please join the Friends of Framingham Trails at our (now) annual NYE Celebration on the Cochituate Rail Trail! Starts at 4:30 until 7:30pm. Come walk the trail, enjoy fire pits, games, snacks and community as we all ring in 2025!
-Mary Kate
