Click image for Haverhill City Council agenda.
As concerns about overdevelopment swirl, Haverhill officials tonight will discuss potential changes to the city’s zoning ordinances—laws that determine where different types of structures can be built.
Of interest is the impact of “recent rapid growth of residential units” on “the number of pupils in schools and … the city’s infrastructure,” according to the announcement for the Haverhill City Council’s Planning and Development Committee meeting.
City Councilors at a May 21 meeting raised concerns about the current rate of development and where new residences might go. In particular, Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski suggested revisiting the zoning for the former site of Haverhill Paperboard. As WHAV reported then, Mayor Melinda E. Barrett said she told Procopio Companies to “burn” plans to place roughly 800 units on the riverfront property at 100 S. Kimball St.
A spokesperson for Procopio declined to comment.
At the same meeting, Barrett reported around 1,700 units are currently under development in Haverhill. Economic Development and Planning Director William Pillsbury Jr. told WHAV the city keeps a close eye on the housing market, carefully considering whether proposed units can be “absorbed.”
Citing similar concerns as those to be discussed tonight, residents of the Wood School neighborhood said they opposed a duplex in their neighborhood in large part due to poor infrastructure and overcrowded schools, as WHAV previously reported.
Before any changes to zoning can be set in stone, the full City Council must vote to approve them.
The meeting will be held tonight at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chambers, room 202, Haverhill City Hall, 4 Summer St.