Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 30, 2026 BEACON | FROM PAGE 17 Trust Fund.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL $38 MILLION TO HELP FAMILIES REDUCE MEDICAL DEBT – An estimated 70,000 Massachusetts residents are soon going to receive letters announcing that they will receive a portion of more than $38 million in direct medical debt relief under a nonprofit partnership created by the Board of Atrius Health Equity Foundation. The foundation has erased more than $293 million in medical debt since it started in 2024. Supporters note that there is no application process for this debt relief, and it cannot be requested. Patients are automatically selected if they meet certain income criteria and their medical debt is available for acquisition through a partnership with a provider, such as a hospital or collection agency. Patients receiving the letters do not Zoning Appeals To Whom It May Concern: This notice is to inform you that a public hearing will be held on Monday November 16, 2026 at 6:00 PM, Everett City Hall, 3rd Floor George Keverian Hearing Room. All interested parties may attend and opinions will be heard regarding the following petition. Whereas a petition has been presented by: Property Address: Map/Parcel: 75-89 Norman Street G0-3A-000011, G0-3A-00011A, G0-3A-000012 and G0-3A-000014 Zoning District: Permit Number: River Front Overlay District B-26-500 Person Requesting: Commercial Investors LLC 142 Cambridge Street Charlestown, MA 02129 Proposal: The applicant seeks to construct Two (2) Apartment Buildings on the same lot with a total of 514 apartment units Violations: • Pursuant to Section 3 General Requirements paragraph M, only one (1) residential building shall be permitted on a lot. The submitted plan indicates that Two (2) Buildings are shown on a single lot. A variance is needed. • Pursuant to Section 26, C, Dimensional Requirements line 4 a Twenty-five (25) foot rear yard is required yet the plan indicates a Zero (0) foot rear lot line has been indicated. • Pursuant to Section 26, C, Dimensional Requirements line 5 the maximum building floors shall be Five (5) floors the plans indicate Six (6) floors with a maximum building height of 65 feet, the plan indicates 65 feet 6 inches. A variance is needed for both issues • Pursuant to Section 26, C, Dimensional Requirements Line 6 limits the building FAR to 2.25 to 1, the plan indicates 2.28 to 1 this would require a Special Permit. • Pursuant to Section 26, C, Dimensional Requirements Line 7 limits the number of units per acre to 70 the plan indicates 123 units per acre. A variance is needed. • Pursuant to Section 17, A, Off-street parking line 2 requires 2 spaces per unit, so with 514 units the project requires 1028 spaces yet only 234 parking spaces have been provided. A variance is needed. • Pursuant to Section 17, V, Off-street parking line 5, restaurants and/or line 9, retail, for having no off-street parking spaces for the amenity space which will be open to the public. A variance is needed. • Pursuant to Section 26, C, Dimensional requirements, item 1, Frontage for having less than the required 100 feet of frontage. A variance is needed. Rebecca Edmondson Korom- Chairman Roberta Suppa- Clerk of Board of Appeals October 30, November 06, 2026 need to take any action. The eligible medical debt will automatically be eliminated for those who qualify, no strings attached and negative credit score marks will be removed. “Medical debt not only impacts families’ long-term financial future, but also makes people reluctant to seek care,” said Dr. Ann Hwang, president of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation. “Our hope is that the patients and families across Eastern Massachusetts aided by this debt reCITY OF EVERETT MODIFIED LEGAL NOTICE lief can move forward without this burden.” “For too many patients, an unexpected illness or medical emergency can create financial hardship that lasts long after they leave the hospital, ER or doctor’s office,” said Undue Medical Debt CEO and President, Allison Sesso. “Eliminating medical debt gives people a meaningful fresh start and ensures that getting the care they need doesn’t come at the cost of their economic security and mental health.” PROTECT PETS DURING EMERGENCIES (H 1559) – On February 5, The House gave initial approval to a proposal that would make major changes in laws about pets in homes, apartments, hotels and shelters across the state during a state of emergency. The measure is designed to allow owners of pets to remain safely housed and not be formally removed from housing due to their pets. No further action has been taken on the proposal and it remains stalled in the Bills in Third Reading Committee. Supporters say that pets are very important to their owners and argue that these new laws would be fair to the pets, owners and landlords while also protecting public safety. The bill would prohibit a landlord from “initiating action to evict any person from a residential dwelling unit who has a pet without written permission based solely on the presence of the pet until one year after a state of emergency, unless the presence of pets is causing harm to the safety of other residents.” Key provisions include prohibiting a hotel from unreasonably refusing to allow pets into a hotel during a state of emergency, unless the pet has demonstrated noise and safety concerns; prohibiting condominium associations from discriminating against owners or renters by banning certain types of dogs based on breed, size, weight or appearance; establishing a program of pet ownership by residents of state-aided public housing; and allowing landlords to require a tenant to pay additional rent for “common household pets” but limiting the amount of the additional rent charged for each household pet to not more than 1 percent of the first full month’s rent charged to the tenant. Other provisions include prohibiting landlords from charging additional rent for a service or assistance animal required by a tenant with a disability as a reasonable accommodation under state or federal law; and prohibiting an insurance company from refusing to offer or renew insurance to homeowners or renters or from imposing an increased premium or rate of a policy based on a specific breed of dog owned on the property. OFFICIAL JAZZ SONG OF MASSACHUSETTS (H 3407) – The House gave initial approval to a measure designating the song, “Massachusetts,” sung by Springfield native Montenia Shider, as the state’s official jazz song. Supporters said the bill will honor 79-year-old Shider, who has been singing for more than 40 years and also taught music. Rep. Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield), the sponsor of the proposal, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on initial approval of his bill and why he filed it. The song was written by Andy Razaf and Charles Roberts and first recorded in July 1942 by Gene Krupa, many years before Shider recorded it in the 1990s, with new lyrics focused on western Massachusetts. RECYCLING, COMPOSTING AND WASTE REDUCTION – The Healey Administration announced more than $5 Million in grant funding to support 323 municipalities and regional solid waste districts maximize recycling, composting BEACON | SEE PAGE 19
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