This week’s City Council meeting is Tuesday at 6:30pm. The agenda is here.
Topics: Zoning, police drones, Pickett Plaza, sewer fees.
Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/91727574825
Zoning: Spectrum Health wants to rezone 105 Merrick Street and 29 Sever Street from “limited residence” to “general residence,” which will allow smaller lot sizes and expand the potential uses. There’s another request to clean up the zoning at 1 Brussels Street to make it all “limited manufacturing” instead of partly “general manufacturing.” These requests will be sent to the Planning Board.
From the Table: Councilor Nguyen’s request that the Council endorse statewide “trans sanctuary laws,” tabled by Councilor Colorio, is back on the agenda.
Police Drones: The Worcester Police Department plans to buy a drone. This has caused controversy on the Council. The Public Safety Committee (Councilors Toomey, Rivera, and Colorio) discussed the plan and want the Council to go on record as supporting it. They will have the opportunity to do so at this meeting. (You can read Bill Shaner complain at length about some aspects of the drone plan here.)
Mass Attacks Defense Toolkit: Councilor Toomey wants the powers that be to read a “toolkit” from the RAND Corporation on preventing and mitigating mass shootings.
Pickett Plaza Plaque: General Josiah Pickett was a Civil War general who was not George E. Pickett and who led a regiment of Worcester County men in battle. He used to be memorialized by the parking lot across the street from the Dive Bar, but with the construction of Polar Park that was turned into Rockland Trust Plaza. But maybe it’s back to being Pickett Plaza? In any case, renaming a Civil War veteran’s memorial after a bank is a bad look, and Councilor Mero-Carlson wants there to be a plaque honoring Pickett at the plaza.
Increasing Water and Sewer Fees: Water fees will go from $3.67 to $3.68 per hundred cubic feet, and sewer fees from $8.48 to $8.65 per hundred cubic feet of usage.