City Council Preview: January 31, 2023

Finalizing zoning changes, police report requests

This week’s City Council meeting is Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The agenda is here.

This week: Finalizing zoning changes, some requests for reports about the police.

Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/91727574825

• Private and Public Streets: There’s a request to make the private Corning Avenue a public street. This will go to the Planning Board for discussion. The Council will vote to make Bittersweet Boulevard a public street at last.

• Social Worker Citywide Permits: Councilor Bergman would like the city to offer, for a fee, permits that would allow social workers working with the elderly or disabled to park citywide.

• Finalizing Some Zoning Changes: The Council will vote to change the zoning ordinances so that in Commercial Corridor Overlay Districts, the Planning Board will be able to allow new mixed-use and multi-family buildings, in areas where they otherwise wouldn’t be permitted. The Council will also vote to rezone the Cedar/Merrick/Elm/Sever block (57 Cedar, etc.) from limited residential to general residential, like the zoning across the street.

• Police Report Requests: Councilor King would like the Manager to give the Council reports on the WPD “Equity Audit” and how things are going with body cameras. Presumably there will be some discussion of police matters at this meeting.

• Private John Kelleher Memorial: The Council will vote to create a memorial for John Kelleher, who was killed in the Korean War. The memorial will be at a grassy area adjacent to the sidewalk at Chandler and June.