Medford brief: Sunday, September 20, 2026
Medford's Traffic Commission bans parking at two corners where fire trucks kept getting stuck
Medford's Traffic Commission bans parking at two corners where fire trucks kept getting stuck.
From Medford News
- Housing trust closes zoning bonus loophole, advances linkage fee. The Affordable Housing Trust adopted a multiplier-based zoning bonus formula tying extra height to real unit gains, sent a linkage fee nexus study to ordinance drafting, and endorsed Megan Kelly for its open seat pending City Council confirmation.Medford News
- Community board approves Lincoln Road infill home 6-0. The Community Development Board voted 6-0 to grant a special permit for a second single-family home on a 13,277-square-foot Lincoln Road lot, then split 4-2 over a disputed height zone in the pending Boston Avenue rezoning package.Medford News
- Traffic panel bans parking near tight fire-truck corners. Medford's Traffic Commission voted 4-0 to ban parking near tight bends on Metcalfe and Elliott streets after a fire lieutenant said crews had to abandon trucks and walk to calls, and made the last block of Quincy Street permit-only.Medford News
- Tree ordinance advances to City Council for a vote. Medford's Energy and Environment Committee heard a revised public tree ordinance could reach a City Council vote, discussed a possible rodenticide ban, and noted Trees Medford is giving away free trees to high-heat neighborhoods through September 20.Medford News
- Historical panel splits on demolition reviews, advances three properties. The Historical Commission voted 71 Mystic Avenue and 73 Surrey Street significant, sending both to an October 5 hearing, while a member urged steering the VFW away from demolishing 321 Winthrop Street after crews found buried headstones at Cross Street Cemetery.Medford News
- School Committee approves superintendent's goals, CTE honors pilot. The School Committee unanimously approved Superintendent Galussi's 2026-27 goals, including getting 80 percent of kindergartners and first graders to reading benchmarks by June 2027, and a new Career Technical Education honors track for juniors and seniors.Medford News
- Board of Health splits tobacco suspension for two stores. The Board of Health let McSheffrey's Mobile and NK Convenience serve $2,000 fines and seven-day tobacco suspensions on non-consecutive days after second-offense sales to a minor, and heard a Tufts and BioLabs biosafety lab permit request for 200 Boston Ave.Medford News
- Council committee keeps noise ordinance rewrite in committee. A City Council committee approved its summer newsletter and reviewed noise-ordinance models from Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline, citing weak after-hours enforcement; the rewrite stays in committee with draft language expected after the September 23 Ward 1 meeting.Medford News
- Conservation Commission approves shell lighting, trail drainage projects. The Conservation Commission cleared dark-sky-compliant lighting upgrades at the Condon Shell and a state drainage fix on the Mustang Loop Trail near Medford High School, both proceeding without a full Notice of Intent.Medford News
- Medford home sales top out at $1.1 million. Medford's latest recorded deeds show home sales topping out at $1.1 million for the week, with trust transfers making up a large share of the recorded transactions.Medford News
- Free trees for high-heat neighborhoods offer ends today. Trees Medford is offering free trees to residents in the city's high-heat neighborhoods through September 20, part of a push toward roughly 300 total plantings, the Energy and Environment Committee heard this month.Medford News
- Ward 1 meeting Wednesday to shape noise ordinance rewrite. Medford's Ward 1 meeting is set for September 23, after which councilors expect draft language for a rewritten noise ordinance following complaints about weak after-hours enforcement.Medford News