By AUBREY HAWKE
Waltham Times Contributing Writer
The City Council finalized zoning amendments to comply with the state MBTA Communities Act at its first meeting of the new year on Monday, Jan. 13.
The move came after months of deliberation within the city and back-and-forth communication between the city and the state.
The council on Dec. 23 took an initial vote on the revised zoning plan, a vote that put the city in compliance with the state requirements.
Now, with the council’s Jan. 13 action, the zoning change is official.
All City Councilors present at the meeting on Monday voted in favor of the zoning change except for Councilor-at-Large Colleen Bradley-MacArthur, who voted “present.”
Utility items
The council was scheduled to hear a National Grid request to do a few thousand feet of gas main replacement in the area around McDevitt Middle School. However, no National Grid representative was present, so the council voted to postpone the hearing to Jan. 27.
At least one abutter to the project was present in the audience specifically to ask questions about the project. The Waltham resident had concerns about how long the project would take and how the construction work might impact the lives of those in the neighborhood. He was unable to ask his questions due to the postponement.
The council had an initial hearing for an NSTAR project to create 63 feet of conduit under the intersection of Moody and Carter streets; the council referred the matter to the Licenses and Franchises Committee for further discussion.
Elections for council president, vice president
The council also completed several administrative start-of-year matters including electing a council president and vice president for 2025.
The council unanimously re-elected Council President John J. McLaughlin for another term in the position. The council also re-elected Ward 5 Councilor Joseph P. LaCava as vice president.
Other action items
In other action, the council
- approved the Preferential Veterans Housing Ordinance Amendment, which supports veterans in Waltham being given preference when finding housing.
- continued a hearing for a special permit from Ferris Development Group to Feb. 24. The special permit requests that the developers be allowed to increase the floor area ratio of its project to 0.6. The building is in a commercial zoning district.
- approved the withdrawal of a special permit request from The Wilder Companies. This withdrawal is due to a change at the permit site, 1074 Lexington St., that nullifies the request.
- sent the Resolution in Support of Outside Dining in Waltham to Ordinances and Rules for further discussion.
- approved a $1,031,710 loan for design services at the Howe Hall and Administration buildings at the former Walter E. Fernald State School.
- held a moment of silence at the request of Ward 1 Councilor Anthony LaFauci for Gloria Champion who died on Jan. 1. Champion was a lifelong resident who was involved in nature conservation advocacy and other activities in the city.
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