For several months we have been reporting on a zoning overlay district that is being considered by the City Council.  At all public meetings and in written comment we have been clear on two issues:

1 – We want to see historic schools, churches and other large civic buildings reused (and they would be great for housing).

2 – We want any new construction on these neighborhood sites to suit the surrounding neighborhood.

In early January the planning department submitted a re-draft of the ordinance, in response to public comment, that allowed for flexibility in reuse of existing buildings and a limited ability for buildings to be expanded in a way that met the character of the surrounding neighborhood.  We were pleased to support this version of the ordinance at the January 9th meeting, as did most members of the community who also commented.

Unfortunately, the ordinance has again been redrafted.  This is a result of Planning Board recommendations made on January 17th.  The redraft allows for new construction, including additions, on the historic sites that could be up to 55 feet tall.  It also allows for very high density.  For example, it could allow up to 40 residential units at 5 Broad Street (the former Senior Center), over 150 units at the St. James Church site on Federal Street, and over 140 units at Immaculate Conception on Hawthorne Blvd.  Many of the properties eligible for this overlay zoning are in residential neighborhoods, yet the allowed zoning would be similar to that allowed in the downtown district (B5 zoning) which is the densest and tallest zoning in the City.

At the next meeting of the City Council on Wednesday, February 14th, the City Council will either vote on the Ordinance or refer it to Committee for further revisions.

It is Historic Salem’s position that this Ordinance should not be passed in its current state.   Allowing such extreme new construction does not meet the intent that the ordinance “allow for reuse..but minimize impacts to surrounding neighborhoods.”

Because we support the reuse of historic schools and churches we would like the ordinance to be referred to Committee so it can be adjusted to allow for new construction consistent with the character of the neighborhood surrounding each unique site.  The January 9th version of the ordinance, that we supported, allowed for new construction that followed the underlying zoning of the neighborhood.  This is how new construction is handled in the best practices model ordinance published by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

​Has a preservation effort, large or small, caught your eye or earned your admiration? Historic Salem is looking for more cherished home renovations, hand-crafted fences, breweries, civic buildings, lifelong preservation advocates, or even lighthouses to recognize with a 2019 Preservation Award. Completed projects in any neighborhood in Salem are eligible for nomination. Nominated properties can be private, public, or non-profit; residential or commercial; hand-crafted or urban-scaled.