The Peabody City Council held a regular meeting on July 9, 2026, preceded by the Industrial Community and Community Development Committee meeting. The committee addressed three zoning amendments, and the full council conducted public hearings on an ADU ordinance, entertainment license, special permit, and junk dealer's license, along with appointments and other business. Key outcomes included approval of the ADU ordinance, denial of one zoning change, and favorable reports on two others.
Yes. Oh, you do. Okay, thank you. Um we have a um industrial community industrial and community development committee meeting. Uh council's on the committee and myself as the chair, council Ladoff. And in the absence of Councillor Manning Martin, I will appoint uh Council Rosignal, Councils Pete and Councils Walton are also on the committee. We also have Councillors Turko and Councils Hawkman here for this meeting. This meeting is um for three proposed zoning amendments. The first one subject A will be a proposed zoning amendment to change the zoning district for four ninety-five Wall Street zero four eight zero seven six from R one B to R four. And um the attorney representing nice microphone. Uh thank you uh Mr. Chairman. Uh my name is John Kelthy. I'm an attorney. I have offices at 40 Lowell Street here in Peabody. Uh I'm appearing on behalf in this instance of uh uh I'm appearing on behalf of Tedisco properties at LLC. Uh uh Tedisco properties has purchased the property at four ninety-five below. Uh and um they are purchased it several months ago by deed recorded book and page uh book four three one two one, page five ninety-two. Um the uh current zoning of that property is R1B. Um we have taken a look at the property and uh uh determine that the current grade, uh the family that sold it, the goldsmiths. I think that uh they lived um there um certain certainly long enough for uh Dave Dimash to be uh friendly with uh son. I worked with Goldie. And I know Chris Gilbert outside. Goldie was his boss. And uh he's here in security, but in any event, uh it's two and a half acre parcel of land. Um, in order to develop it under the uh um uh requirements of R1B, we would need to um uh lower the grade of the property, which is uh currently at about twenty-two percent uh with respect to steep steepness. Uh if you consider the planning board rules and regulations, any roadway um under their rules and regulations would need to be at five percent grade. Uh the uh roadway would then um at the top of it. Uh there would be a cul-de-sac. We are aware that uh there is uh conservation land up uh at the uh up adjacent to uh the uh high school property. Um we would um be somewhat closer, uh quite a bit closer uh to uh that wetland. Um we would um be somewhat closer, uh quite a bit closer uh to uh that wetland uh we would yield um area and uh furniture requirements, we would be able to build a roadway at a 5% grade and yield four lots. I've requested a uh zone change um this evening in which uh we've asked that uh we go from uh R1 uh B to R4. What that would provide would be uh the um the ability to uh yield four units, two duplex uh structures that would be at the crest of the hill, uh tearing down the existing uh home, uh which is in a pretty um pretty dilapidated condition. We would tear that down, and then in that flat area uh we would uh construct the uh the two um the two duplexes, which would yield a total of four units. Um we would then be further away from the um wetland. We would um need certainly the file with the conservation commission, but uh it would be uh much less uh intrusive uh to any uh conservation issues. We at the same time um really would be uh far better project uh as to impacting uh the neighborhood. Um the building under the planning board in the current zoning and planning board regulations would require um an enormous amount of uh earth and material to be taken off the site. Uh whereas um with the change in the zoning, we could uh improve the access uh by changing the grade uh slightly and then building a proper driveway, but it would be nowhere near the uh five percent uh requirement uh that the planning board and our zoning uh would uh would require. So the purpose and um the focus, in my opinion, on this zone change uh is uh lessening the impact on the neighborhood, uh having the exact same yield uh that we would have under the current zoning and um having just a hugely uh less impact uh on our neighborhood. Um if we were to be uh reported out favorably, that would uh require uh the matter to be placed before the planning board. There would be uh public hearing at the planning board, a further public hearing when it returns back to uh the city council, uh at which time before which uh we would uh uh offer uh the opportunity for uh neighborhood meeting in which uh my client has already spoken to some of the immediate abutters, and uh they have been uh favorable uh with respect to the four unit approval under uh a change zoning rather than the four-unit approval uh which would come with uh uh which would come with uh uh the current zoning. Uh we're happy to answer questions uh that you may have. Um I will reiterate that uh we would have uh that neighborhood meeting before uh the planning board public hearing, and that would certainly be once again before the city council public hearing. I believe that as of timing, uh the planning board is going to be twice in August. Uh we're gonna uh leave after tonight as city council. Uh so our hearing before the city council would come in late August when you return uh or early September. Happy to answer questions you may have. This is uh I think there had been some suggestions that it is spot zoning.