Hi {{first_name|neighbor}},
WITCH NOTES
In September I promised a second edition about the city itself: the meetings, the parking, the things that actually decide your week. This is the first one.
One thing to know up front: boards post an agenda before a meeting and the minutes weeks later. So for some items below we know what was on the table, not how it came out. I say which is which.
YOU VOTED
You voted on what Sunday's email should be, and the top two were resident perks and city notes. Perks are in the works.
THE BIG ONE
Harborlight Homes and Lifebridge North Shore want to tear down the buildings at 56 Margin Street and 24 Endicott Street, reuse 54 Margin Street, and keep the front of 20 Endicott Street, for one 22,806 square foot building: 53 affordable homes, a shelter with 70 beds and space for support programs, with 13 parking spaces. It went before the Conservation Commission, the Historical Commission and the Design Review Board in the last two weeks. Nothing has been decided.
Historical Commission: Wed Nov 4, 6 PM, remote · Planning Board hearing continues: Thu Nov 5, 6:30 PM, remote
City Hall, the last two weeks
The offshore wind port is being reset. On Oct 15 the Salem Harbor Port Authority voted to end its wharfing and harbor-fee agreements with Salem Wind Terminal, Crowley's company. Port staff said Crowley will no longer be the long-term leaseholder and it's undecided whether it will run the terminal, after the federal funding pullback. The agreement is set to be reassigned to the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, with Crowley staying on as project manager. The day before, the Redevelopment Authority's director said the wind project "is not proceeding" under the current federal administration, while the state and Crowley work to get the port construction started. Port Authority minutes (draft)
A fix for your neighbor's floodlight. A City Council committee voted 3-0 on Oct 15 to send the full Council an outdoor lighting ordinance: lights can't shine straight onto the street or a neighbor's property, holiday decorations get a temporary pass, and the fine is $25 for a first offense. It started with a resident whose living room and bedroom were lit up by floodlights from a backyard used for Airbnb gatherings. It was on the Council's Oct 22 agenda, and the minutes that will say how it went aren't posted yet. Committee minutes
Two hours, then it can be moved. Also on the Oct 22 Council agenda for a first vote: an ordinance on belongings left unattended on sidewalks and other public property. After two hours, the city could post a notice and remove the items 24 hours later, or remove them right away if they block a sidewalk, entrance, hydrant or emergency access. Trash set out for pickup, parked bikes and permitted items are exempt. It sat next to a resolution asking the state to take on more responsibility for homelessness and mental health treatment, and a committee recommended keeping a rewrite of the camping ordinance in committee. The outcome isn't in minutes yet. Council agenda
Puleo's Dairy could become a car wash. A developer wants to knock down Puleo's Dairy and a storage building at 370-382 Highland Avenue for a 4,400 square foot Washville car wash with 24 parking spaces, 22 of them vacuum stations. Ward 4 Councilor Tim Flynn wrote in on Oct 15 that traffic using Savona Street is still one of the major issues for neighbors. The Planning Board hearing continues Thursday. Planning Board agenda
A new ferry terminal building on Blaney Street. The city has applied to build a new ferry terminal building at 10 Blaney Street, with its first Planning Board hearing on Thursday. The lot there switched to paid parking on Oct 1: $1.25 an hour through the Passport app, with a discount for residents. Planning Board agenda
92 neighbors want the Volunteers Bridge fixed properly. Neighbors built the footbridge in the Forest River Conservation Area by hand in 1997. In 2022 the city put $66,148.66 of Community Preservation money toward a repair that relied on volunteer labor, the volunteers couldn't be assembled, and the money went back into the fund. A DANGER sign hangs there now. A petition from 92 Salem residents asks the city to pay for a professional repair, and it was on the Council's Oct 22 agenda. Council agenda
On the calendar
Tue Nov 3. Election Day.
Wed Nov 4, 6 PM, remote. Historical Commission: the Margin Street demolition waiver, and a request to tear down an old carriage building at 11 Summer Street, where the Salem Inn plans a 16-unit hotel. Agenda
Thu Nov 5, 6:30 PM, remote. Planning Board: the ferry terminal, Margin Street, the car wash, and a recommendation to the Council on allowing roof-mounted wind turbines. Agenda
Thu Nov 12, 6 PM, City Council Chambers, 93 Washington St. The Council's finance committee takes up the Salem Skipper rideshare and its contract with Via. Agenda The regular Council meeting is also Nov 12, and its agenda isn't posted yet.
Thu Dec 3. A proposed yearly fee on short-term rentals to pay for homelessness prevention and shelter. The draft on the Oct 8 agenda set it at $1,000 a unit for rentals that aren't the operator's home and $500 for the rest. Agenda
Every board's agendas and minutes are at salemma.gov/AgendaCenter.
If you show up, tell them you heard it from From Witch City.
THE DINNER CLUB
Dinner Club is Tuesday.
Six people, one table, a good meal and real conversation. You take a short quiz, we match you with five compatible locals and pick the restaurant, and you find out where the morning of. After dinner every table meets up somewhere for a drink.
Tuesday, November 3 · 6:30 PM · Salem · Dinner on your own tab
Looking for something to do this week? Monday to Thursday is in last Thursday's issue: this week's events.
This is the first Witch Notes, so tell me what you'd want more of, or less of. Just reply.
From Witch City, a local's guide to Salem, MA. Reply and tell us what we missed.