Gloucester City Council Removes Three-Year ZBA Residency Rule in 8-1 Vote

GLOUCESTER -- July 22, 2025, Gloucester City Council adopts 10-year comprehensive plan and votes 8-1 to strip the Zoning Board of Appeals' three-year residency requirement. Community Development Director Alex Koppelman and consultant Laura Smead of JM Goldson presented the final plan Tuesday, built on nearly 4,000 public contacts, 790 survey participants, and roughly $350,000 in ARPA funding, organized around 24 goals and 151 strategies across four civic themes. The council unanimously accepted a $684,282 Community Development Block Grant from HUD and a $250,000 federal substance misuse prevention grant, among six financial items totaling more than $935,000. On the ZBA question, Council Vice President Sean Nolan said "you could drive around for a weekend and understand Gloucester," while Councilor Peter Worthley, the lone dissenter, pushed a failed amendment for a one-year compromise requirement, warning of theoretical vulnerability to bad-faith appointments before the council's 90-day confirmation window closes. The council also voted 9-0 to send letters to Teamsters Local 25 and Republic Services urging good-faith bargaining during the ongoing trash-collection work stoppage, and awarded Mariners Medals to four residents for "extraordinary bravery and decisive actions at sea" on June 24, 2025.