Wakefield Election Profiles: Theo Noell, Planning Board

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The following candidate profile is from Theo Noell, who is running for Planning Board.

Your name: Theo Noell

Age, as of April. 1, 2021: 51

Town of residence: Wakefield

Position sought: Wakefield Planning Board member– 5 year term

Party affiliation: Democrat

Family: Married to Kathleen Sheehan, our daughter Bridget, mother-in-law Kay Sheehan

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government, including the Town of Wakefield or Wakefield Public Schools: No

Education: Masters’ degree in Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1997 B.A, History, Haverford College, 1991

Occupation: Affordable Housing Program and Outreach Manager Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston

Previous or current elected or appointed office: None

Campaign website: https://theodorenoell.wixsite.com/website

You are running because: I want to help Wakefield plan ahead so that we continue to be a welcoming, inclusive, and vibrant community. Longstanding development patterns and pressures raise a lot of concerns in town regarding traffic, harm to the Lake, the impact on our schools and the look and feel of our neighborhoods and downtown.

Rising land prices and home values point to growing unaffordability in town for existing and future residents. Changing demographics highlight our need for a more diverse housing stock in terms of prices/rents and types so that seniors can stay and new families join both as owners and renters.

We have a number of opportunities through planning and zoning of land uses to manage these concerns so that we protect our Lakes and open spaces, make our streets safer, and strategically guide and shape development. Ultimately it’s about where and how we build so that we have beautiful buildings which respect and enhance our community.

What is the single most pressing issue facing the planning board, and what do you intend to do
about it: Residential development. Development isn’t “bad“ on the whole but there’s a lot of uncertainty at the moment. We need to make clear choices so that we limit development around the Lake and manage/direct it in others so that we meet all our community goals. We need to ensure we have the planning and zoning tools in hand. This means updating our 2003 master plan plus our housing production and open space plans, make strategic adaptations to our zoning map, and update our zoning by-laws through a comprehensive process.

I recommend lowering the height limit in the industrial and business zones, especially as these abut residential zones. Making step backs in building height will make the buildings feel less massive and fit better into our neighborhoods. We need to expand the special permit granting authority so that we have more building design review for both the planning and appeals boards.

In addition to zoning around Lake Q, we need to re-examine our mixed-use overlay. We need to hold developers to the 18 percent affordable units minimum currently in the code so we get closer to our 40B fair share. We should incentivize more affordability when it is in our interest so that we diversify our housing stock and attract wider range of families in terms of age, ethnicity, and income.

We have the opportunity now to build our shared vision through the Vision 2030 process. Wakefield has a deep well of civic engagement through many boards, committees and groups all focused on keeping Wakefield livable.

What are key differences between you and your opponent in this race:

Experience. While we may have many of the same planning goals and recommend similar steps (updating our plans), I have put my regional planning degree to good use working on these issues and financing community development over the past 23 years. In this role, I have had the opportunity to research and arrange financing for a range of housing and economic development initiatives across New England. As you can imagine this has required multiple skills including: negotiating, financial analysis, decision making.

I am putting in the work now: researching our zoning code and collaborating across town by reaching out to the conservation commission and attending as many meetings as possible - planning, town council, appeals, permanent building and school committee plus the environmental sustainability committee and safe streets working group. I’m continuing to reach out to town members and businesses.

I believe this professional expertise and my enthusiasm for Wakefield’s future make me the right person for the Planning Board.

What other issues make up your campaign platform:

We need to find solutions to better manage car traffic and make our streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

Economic development – support our local businesses

Conserve town-owned land on Butler Avenue as open space.

Planning ahead means encouraging more energy-efficient and climate resilient homes and buildings.

What accomplishments and experiences would you cite as evidence you can handle this job:

I manage a housing finance program investing $15-20 million annually to assist the development of approximately 2,000 for-sale and rental homes, the majority of which are affordable for very low-income families. Diversity and inclusion, smart growth, and sustainability are key metrics for our investment decisions.

Annually, I am the lead author and editor of a New England-wide housing and economic development needs assessment for the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston.

These skills and appreciation for the issues prepare me to think critically about our zoning and how to apply it in order to achieve our shared vision.

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and the position:

Moving here in 2003, my family has enjoyed Wakefield through our schools and Wakefield Soccer. We are grateful for our friends and neighbors. I have loved coaching kindergarten soccer and cheering too loudly from the sidelines. Now with a WMHS graduating senior, I am eager to cheer for Wakefield and serve you in this formal, professional role. Planning is about people and places. I will always listen and put Wakefield first. I am asking for your vote on April 27. Thank you for your consideration.