Medford's municipal gears are turning with the Planning Department offering up a smorgasbord of figures and initiatives in their latest draft report, which had its run through during a Planning Commission review earlier this week. According to the City of Medford, the Planning Department has had a busy couple of years, giving the green light to 1,288 new digs, rubber-stamping 998 residential building permits, and welcoming plans for 433 hotel rooms to accommodate the city's visitors.
Medford certainly isn’t dragging its feet on the civic engagement front either, with strides being taken to loop in the community on how the city takes shape - from the ground up, showcasing an expanded suite of opportunities for public involvement and offering up a playbook on land use the report detailed efforts on this front, schooling 2023 and 2024, residents on the ins and outs of and the roles of the key teams in the game including committees, decisions makers, and City Council, as reported by the City of Medford.
The report highlights Medford's efforts to address housing challenges, including discussions on Rent Burden, Open Streets events, and Citizen Academy sessions. It also mentions that nearly $140k in grants was given to support shelters like the Kelly Shelter and the Crossings. Additionally, the Medford Navigation Center is being updated to better assist those in need, as stated by the City of Medford.
Medford is working to expand affordable housing with a $1.4 million investment from the Housing Opportunity Fund. This will create 82 affordable housing units and 8 transitional beds for people in need. The City of Medford is also planning to revive Open Streets events, update its Economic Element, and prepare plans for middle housing. Medford is actively pushing forward to improve housing and community development.
