Councillors Tarallo, Logan and Kelly and their pro-development zoning proposal

Borderline has slammed unrestrained development in Waltham before (see "The News Tribune sees 'potential' in development. Borderline sees something else"). There's more news today about developers getting a zoning boost from the city in the News Tribune.

This time it's not just the Planning Department advocating for more development -- it's our own city councillors! The article lists City Council President Edmund P. Tarallo, Robert G. Logan, and Robert S. Kelly supporting a zoning change which would benefit developers.

The justifications they use are amusing. President Tarallo seems to thinks the fact that office buildings are old justifies them being overlaid with new condos:

"The Rte. 128 corridor that helped Waltham's tax base to grow is now over 50 years old in some locations," said City Council President Edmund P. Tarallo, who spoke in favor of a new commercial revitalization overlay district during a public hearing last night.

Kelly's take: More tax money (potentially):

Ward 1 Councilor Robert S. Kelly, in whose ward the proposed overlay district would lie, said he does not think mixed-use development would harm the few residential areas surrounding the Rte. 128 office parks. On the contrary, he said, economic development would benefit residents by potentially lowering tax rates.

Unfortunately, Logan was unable to attend the meeting, so we couldn't learn about his reasoning, but the article says he authored the proposed zoning change.

Borderline's message to city councillors: You represent citizens and our interests, not the interests of developers. And Waltham doesn't need more condos, strip malls, or Frankenstein projects that combine the two!