Planning Board - Zoning Ordinance Overhaul Hearing

This event, originally scheduled for Tuesday, February 10, 2015, has been moved to this date and will happen at the regular Planning Board meeting.

A joint public hearing for all interested parties will be held by the Planning Board and the Board of Aldermen Land Use Committee on Thursday, March 5, 2015 at 6:00 p.m.
in the Aldermanic Chambers on the Second Floor of Somerville City
Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA. The purpose of the hearing
will be to receive public comments concerning the following:

ADOPTION OF A NEW SOMERVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE
TO SUPERSEDE THE CURRENT ZONING ORDINANCE AS ORIGINALLY ADOPTED ON MARCH 23, 1990.

Please refer to the full draft ordinance and maps, which may be reviewed through the Zoning Overhaul Website at: www.somervillema.gov/zoning

Copies of the ordinance and maps are also
available for review in the Office of Strategic Planning and Community
Development, located on the third floor of City Hall, 93 Highland
Avenue, Somerville, MA, Mon-Wed, 8:30 am-4:30 pm; Thurs, 8:30 am-7:30
pm; and Fri, 8:30 am-12:30 pm.

Interested persons may provide comments at
the hearing or by submitting written comments by mail to OSPCD,
Planning Division, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143; by fax to
617-625-0722; or by email to planning@somervillema.gov.

As cases may be continued to later dates,
please check the agenda on the City’s website or call before attending.
Continued cases will not be re-advertised.

Attest: Kevin Prior, Chairman, Planning Board  / Alderman Dennis Sullivan, Chairman, Board of Alderman Land Use Committee

Key changes in this overhaul include, but are not limited to:

Customer Service

• Allows homeowners to add common enhancements
  such as dormers, bay windows, open front porches, and small rear
  additions to their homes.




• Implements new regulatory techniques and terminology to increase clarity and transparency.




• Includes graphics illustrating the code that make the ordinance easier to read and understand.




• Simplifies the list of permitted uses.

Housing

• Increases inclusionary zoning requirements.




• Orients the production of affordable housing to transit accessibility.




• Promotes a range of building types permitted in each district.

Neighborhood Character

• Establishes building types for infill
  development to fit into the form, scale, and pattern of existing
  neighborhoods and squares.




• Simplifies review for small, local businesses.




• Permits formula businesses and larger stores only by special permit.

Arts & Creative Economy

• Calls attention to the thriving arts &
  creative economy of Somerville and permits these activities to thrive
  across the city.




• Requires new buildings in certain districts to set aside floor area as leasable arts and creative use spaces.




• Creates a new districts zoned specifically
  for artisan production, exhibition, sales, service, education, shared
  workspaces, and similar uses by the arts and creative economy.

Transformational Redevelopment

• Harnesses the demand for residential housing to redevelop underutilized areas of the city as new neighborhoods.




• Implements standards for new, developer-built infrastructure in transformational areas.




• Requires a commercial/residential
  development mix in certain special districts as called for by the
  SomerVision Comprehensive Plan.

Smart Growth

• Establishes transit-oriented parking standards across the entire city.




• Coordinates zoning with the community-driven neighborhood planning of Somerville by Design.