Salem B1 Zoning Amendment
- John Newhall
- Feb 21
- 3 min read
On Wednesday, 19 February 2025, the Salem City Council and Planning Board met with residents in a joint public hearing to discuss potential changes to the current B1 Zoning Ordinance (See Zoning Ordinance Sec. 3.1). Please also note that a zoning district map is available on the Salem City website (salemma.gov).
The proposed change would allow for two commercial uses in Salem's B1 districts: commercial recreation and indoor restaurants with service of alcoholic beverages (see below for the full proposal). Specifically, the change would remove these types of commercial uses from the "Not Allowed" (N) list and institute a "Special Permit: Zoning Board of Appeals" (BA) process as laid out in Sec. 9.4 of the Zoning Ordiance. The change was hotly debated in City Council chambers and got some attention from The Salem News (my apologies if you can't access due to the paywall).
I think it is important, as a candidate and as a historian, to state my opinion, clarify some details, and publicly correct some of the comments made during the meeting. To begin with, I am in favor of this change. The change would not permit the businesses to open, but would allow for a consideration process.
The proposal offers a key opportunity for Salem to become more pedestrian-friendly. Listening to residents over the last few years, I've heard consistent complaints about heavy traffic and a pronounced lack of parking. One of the many moves to help alleviate this issue is promoting initiatives that orient Salem towards pedestrian and cyclist traffic. Opening local restaurants and commercial recreation establishments will aid in this. Multiple residents who attended the joint hearing in favor of the proposal do not own cars. Giving neighborhoods the option to have restaurants and other establishments is essential to making Salem more accessible, community-oriented, and open.
I'd like to take a moment to counter some comments made during the joint hearing. Multiple times residents brought up the idea of preserving the historicity of the greater Derby Wharf area. The Derby Wharf area, during most of Salem's history, was filled with wharfs, businesses, and residences. Rejuvenating the area with small business establishments would be a way to honor and promote our history.
Pictured above is the West India Goods Store, a part of Salem's National Maritime Historic Site. Falling roughly 5-feet outside the Derby Street B1 district and as a National Historic Site, the Goods Store would be unaffected by the proposed change. However, it shows one type of business that occupied Derby Street in the early-1800s (the first recorded use of the building was in 1836). In their book about Salem, Young Men and the Sea: Yankee Seafarers in the Age of Sail, Daniel Vickers and Vince Walsh demonstrate that: "Every large seaport in the age of sail...possessed a waterfront neighborhood, where resident mariners made their homes and where visiting sailors could find lodging, refreshment, company, and eventually more work" (Vickers & Walsh, 132). Amidst the residences along Salem's various waterfronts were machine shops, inns, taverns, coal shops, and more. This can be seen on historic maps of Salem. Let me be clear, I am not suggesting a return to Salem of the 1830s, 1850s, or any other time. The historian in me, however, cannot let false historical claims go uncorrected.
A second confusing claim came from critics of the proposal. They correctly argued that Salem should not have "one size fits all" policies. However, the current B1 zoning regulations are a one size fits all policy and the proposal would eliminate that. As it stands, there is no possibility to open a business marked "N" within a B1 district. A conversation cannot happen even if the entire neighborhood unanimously agreed the business should open. In order to remove the "one size fits all"system currently in place, Salem should make the proposed change.
Finally, I fully support the proposed change in B1 zoning as brought before the Salem City Council and Planning Board on the 19th of February. It will aid in maintaining Salem as a thriving, community and neighborhood-oriented place.
Full Proposal
Cited Sources:
Vickers, Daniel and Vince Walsh. Young Men and the Sea: Yankee Seafarers in the Age of Sail. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005.
McIntyre, H. (Henry). "Map of the city of Salem, Mass." Map. Philadelphia: Henry Mc. Intyre, 1851. Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center, https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:9g54xk154 (accessed February 26, 2025).
