Differing priorities emerged between two of the candidates for the vacant Bedford Planning Board seat during the League of Women Voters candidate forum broadcast on Sunday.
Armen Zildjian said the cornerstone of his campaign is diversifying housing inventory. Housing affordability affects residents who wish to downsize, “working-class families who built this town,” and people of other socio-economic backgrounds with little or no access.”
Chris Gittins emphasized “proactive” long-term planning, guided by the specific components of the Comprehensive Plan.
Zildjian, Gittins, and Bryan Jean are running for the three-year term on the March 13 ballot. Incumbent Jeffrey Cohen is not seeking reelection. Jean did not participate in Sunday’s forum; there was no explanation. The event can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofdYRAnOSMI&t=6103s.
Gittins, a former member of the Conservation Commission, said that experience helped him understand how to “balance laws and regulations with community goals and residents’ concerns.” He emphasized energy efficiency in buildings as a key component of a responsible future.
Zildjian, who works in technology sales, said he was a member of the Governor’s Council on Higher Education and has worked as a volunteer with young people and his church. “The town faces a lot of issues around affordability,” including what he called “overdevelopment.” He said, “Most of the issues are related to affordability. It impacts many people.”
He cited the 2019 housing study, from which few recommendations have been executed. “We need to engage the community to come up with the most inclusive plan of action,” he said. Gittins referenced the action steps from the Comprehensive Plan.
Asked about balancing all interests in making decisions on projects, Zildjian commented that “neighbors should have the largest say for what goes in their communities. The needs of the community come before developers’.”
Gittins said a developer can exercise “by-right” uses, over which a neighborhood has no input. “The Planning Board’s ability to direct that is pretty limited,” he said. However, the board “can guide development when the property owner wants to do something beyond ‘by-right.’ ” He said it’s about “negotiating and finding acceptable compromises.
One of the League’s questions was about ways government can encourage housing equity. Zildjian noted that Boston provided grants to offset down-payments to lower-income and first-time buyers. He also called for implementing the housing study recommendations and to resist development that demolishes smaller houses and replaces them with larger ones.
Gittins also cited the housing study’s “regulatory strategies,” as well as proposals for co-housing. He called for support of the upcoming rezoning to allow discrete accessory dwelling units. Gittins also mentioned the housing options inherent in the new industrial mixed-use zone and acknowledged that it would be politically difficult to ease zoning restrictions on two-family dwellings.
Asked about the Planning Board’s role in the town’s economic development, Gittins said that although the board doesn’t direct development, he would like to see redevelopment of the Bedford Center district, on The Great Road between the Town Common and Hillside Avenue. The landscape lends itself to easy walk-up, he said. Another “inviting space” is the parking lot of the Great Road Shopping Center, he said.
Zildjian said he prioritizes housing affordability before economic development. He commended the board for the mixed-use bylaw, but expressed concern about “overdevelopment.” He added that board members have to be vigilant for more traffic congestion on The Great Road and “unintended consequences,”
Each candidate also was asked about priorities for zoning changes. Gittins said he favors amending the planned residential development parameters that would provide “more flexibility to preserve open space.”
Zildjian advocated complete revamping of the entire bylaw, which he said the current board supports. He also called for zoning that would accommodate more affordable assisted-living facilities and suggested looking into the impact of the new state law regarding residential development near public transportation.
Asked about the Planning Board’s potential to encourage net zero construction and advocate for a state net-zero stretch code, both candidates were affirmative. The board can advocate strict local standards, Gittins said. Zildjian observed that “aspirational goals should not price people out.”
Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
Loading ...
