PEABODY — Ward 4 City Council candidate Julie Daigle unveiled a new campaign advertisement last week pledging to hold developers more accountable and protect the quality of life of city residents.
“As city councilor, I will scrutinize development proposals to ensure that they meet the needs of our city and are appropriate for the areas in which they are proposed,” Daigle says in the video ad. “I believe in responsible development that benefits all of us, not just the developer.”
In the 90-second ad, Daigle discusses the housing development project known as Kings Residences Peabody slated for 15 King St., the former site of the J.B. Thomas Hospital and Cura Healthcare facility. Developer Hemisphere Development Group LLC had originally proposed senior housing for 55 and over, but reversed course, deciding to proceed under Chapter 40B, which is the state’s affordable housing law. That law allows developers to override local zoning laws to increase affordable housing in communities where affordable housing makes up less than 10 percent of the total available housing. Chapter 40B enables local Zoning Boards of Appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20-25% of the units have long-term affordability restrictions.
Approved by MassHousing, Daigle said the Kings Residences project calls for a 133-unit condominium complex consisting of three five-story buildings nearly 50 feet high on just three acres of land in what is primarily a residential neighborhood.
“I am committed to making sure that Peabody remains an affordable place to live for young adults, families and seniors,” Daigle said. “But responsible housing development should enhance the quality of life of our residents and neighborhoods and not detract from it.
“Unfortunately, the housing proposal for King Street is not responsible and does not represent the best interests of either our neighborhood or our city as a whole.”
In the video, Daigle says the project is too big in size and scope and that it will put added stress on city services like education, public safety, water and sewer.
Daigle said she is “running to provide the leadership that we need to prevent development that we don’t need to improve our quality of life and make Peabody an even better place to live.”
Kings Residences is one of several 40B projects that has either been approved or proposed in Peabody. In April, at a standing-room-only community meeting organized by Ward 5 Councilor Joel Saslaw, several residents expressed their strong objections to a proposal for a 220-unit apartment complex on a 7.7 acre parcel of land off Winona and Newbury streets. That project calls for three four-story buildings to be clustered near the back of the parcel with access directly from Route 1 near the entrance to Honey Dew Donuts.
Just about a half-mile south alongside Route 1, construction is ongoing on a 60-unit project on Dearborn Road behind Sonic Restaurant (a so-called friendly 40B as it has the support of the city). Other projects in the mix are located at or near Oak Street, Endicott Street, Wallis Street and Farm Avenue, which is also considered friendly.
A lifelong Peabody resident, Daigle is a graduate of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School and Merrimack College, where she earned a degree in business administration and accounting. She currently is the general manager at Mills58 on Pulaski Street. Prior to that, she was the executive director of the Peabody Area Chamber of Commerce.
Daigle has worked in the administrations of three Peabody mayors over the span of her 20-year career in public service. She spent a little more than five-and-a-half years working in the Community Development and Planning office. She then served as the city’s business liaison from 2013- 2017, then served as the city treasurer from 2017-2020, when she moved to PACC.
