Everett’s restrictions on data centers took their final vote Monday, June 22, when the City Council ordained the amendment to the Docklands Innovation District zoning 9-2, with Council President Stephanie Smith among the two no votes. The ordinance, first filed in February by Councilor Katy Rogers with Vivian Nguyen and Stephanie Martins as a flat ban, now allows a data center only as a secondary use inside a mixed-use building, capped at 20,000 square feet, with water, noise, power and job-creation conditions the planning board must find met before issuing a special permit.
Rogers said the 2024 master plan the council approved for the former ExxonMobil land already listed data centers as a permitted use with no definition and no limits. She described visiting one in Lowell with planning board member Stephanie McCullough: “a large foreboding black building that makes noise and there’s a lot of air pollution and it’s sitting right in the middle of a neighborhood that looks very similar to Everett.” Not regulating them, she said, “is not in Everett’s best interest at this time, so we can always tighten them up later.” McCullough and resident Victoria Thistle spoke in favor. Councilor Peter Pietrantonio asked whether the council had not already passed it; Smith explained an ordinance needs enrollment and then ordainment, and the clerk read five administrative corrections before the vote.
Permit fees go up for commercial work
The council enrolled a new fee schedule for building, electrical and plumbing permits, 10-0. Chief Development Officer Monica Lamboy said the building fees had not changed in at least four and a half years and the electrical fees dated to 1998. Building Commissioner David Palumbo said the residential rate for one- to three-unit buildings stays at $15 per $1,000 of construction value, while commercial and larger residential projects move to $17. Wire inspector Richard Connors said commercial electrical work will be charged $10 per $1,000 of the contract, where the city “was really taking a serious hit.” Permits already issued are not affected. Lamboy could not say how much the change will raise; it was sized to the staff time big projects take.
$1.2 million to keep a promise
The council voted 6-4 to move up to $1.2 million from the stabilization fund into the linkage fund. Pietrantonio, who voted no, explained the reason to a confused chamber: the previous administration promised The Neighborhood Developers $3 million from linkage fees that the fund did not have. “We’re keeping their promise,” he said, and the stabilization fund will be repaid as linkage comes in. Jabouin, Michele Capone and Michael Marchese also voted no. Resident Paula Sterite had objected at the previous meeting, saying the city already put $2.7 million into the nonprofit’s 25 Garvey Street project.
Six officers sworn in
Kristopher Buck, Nicole Flores, Gustavo Romero, Shawn McCormack, Scott Fitzemeyer and Joseph Granara were confirmed as Everett police officers, 10-0, and took the oath in the chamber. The council also moved $60,000 from fire department personnel to 911 personnel and approved a leftover fiscal 2025 invoice from Ideal Pools for the fountain at Glenwood Cemetery.
Two settlements behind closed doors
The council went into executive session, and adjourned from it, to discuss settlement requests filed on behalf of James P. Ryan and Keith Slattery. Jabouin asked why the Slattery matter was private: “If this was such a public fiesta in the city, why are we discussing that in executive session? This person terrorized the community publicly.” City Clerk Sergio Cornelio said the law requires it. Smith said that before the current administration the council was never told about lawsuits against the city at all.
Summer notes
- Martha Chason-Sokol of Art Lab brought two of its 12 to 14 youth employees to announce the studio’s fifth birthday party, Saturday, July 11 from 3 to 6 p.m., rain date July 18, with young vendors ages 16 to 24, a DJ and cake.
- A $5,000 state tourism grant toward public safety costs for the June 13 Fan Fest watch party was accepted; the city does not yet have the event’s total cost.
- Malden Auto Body of Everett, 49 Robin Street, had its dealer license renewed. A National Grid petition for Union Street was withdrawn. Rogers’ plastic utensil ordinance stays in committee.
- Smith announced the city’s Independence Day celebration Saturday at 6 p.m., with the council’s doll carriage, wagon and bike decorating contest for children up to 13 starting about 5:30, and an overflow trash week July 6 to 10: register with 311 for three stickers. Councilor Holly Garcia noted National Night Out, Tuesday, August 4, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Glendale Park.
- The next council meeting is Monday, August 3 at 6 p.m.
