WESTFORD — Amid budget discussions ahead of Annual Town Meeting, another important issue will be presented to voters this March — whether to comply with the MBTA Communities Act.
Officials hosted a “Lunch and Learn” at the Cameron Senior Center on Feb. 23 where residents were invited to learn more about the proposed zoning bylaw.
What’s in the proposal?
The proposed bylaw amendment calls for the town to create a zoning district “of reasonable size” where multi-family housing is allowed as of right. The new overlay district would not remove existing development rights along sections of Littleton Road, Powers Road, Concord Road, Robbins Road and Technology Park Drive.
“There’s no penalty to existing property owners, they don’t lose any of their existing rights,” Director of Land Use Management Jeffrey Morrissette told attendees.
The draft proposal exceeds, but still closely follows, state-required minimums. Westford must create space to allow for additional units but is not obligated to create additional units.
“The area is sized larger than what would be required to satisfy the minimum mandate, but the reason the committee and the board ended up at this proposal is because they believe that it is in the best interest of this community,” he said.
Morrisette says that though officials can not guarantee what will happen with future development, they are trying to incentivize tax-favorable developments.
“We cannot guarantee what will happen. We are simply looking at the existing multifamily developments in town that largely have no commercial component and are not age-restricted. We’re trying to incentivize those kinds of things, the non-residential components, some age restrictions and public amenities that would push it to be more favorable,” Morrisette said.
He added, “these kinds of development under this could be beneficial and have less burden on the taxes than they can take in. That’s something we want to keep in mind.”
The proposal includes height and parking density requirements and affordability requirements for new developments.
Additionally, the proposal includes several requirements surrounding building design and pedestrian infrastructure, among others.
Questions from residents
Attendees were invited to share their thoughts and questions regarding the proposal.
One attendee asked whether the town must provide additional infrastructure for new developments.
“The owner is on the hook. We are not required to provide the infrastructure for these developments,” Morrissette said.
Another asked what the time frame for new development would be if the bylaw is passed in March.
“They could commence permitting by November or December of this year. They [the developer] would also take full advantage of the conventional process,” Morrissette said.
He added, “they estimate once permitting is done, it would be two years for a large multi-family development, start to finish and occupied. It could be three years, [but some] indicated it could be in FY27.”
One attendee was curious about new growth for the town’s tax base, to which Morrisette replied that the town is “trying to be conservative and not paint a rosy picture.”
“It could be up to $3.3 million of new growth. The assessor takes a look a few times a year [at the property]. Even if it doesn’t have an occupancy permit, if there are improvements there is potential for new growth, but you’d expect the full benefit once it’s complete and occupied,” he said.
Penalties for non-compliance?
If the town does not adopt the proposal by the end of this year, it could face civil action from the state and risk liability under state and federal housing laws.
The town could lose several grant opportunities, such as those from the Housing Choice Initiative, which provided the town $75,000 in funding in FY23. Additional state aid could also be at risk.
Residents of Milton recently rescinded their zoning bylaw and saw a $140,080 grant for seawall and access revoked.
Others, like Wrentham, are considering whether to sign and send letters to Gov. Maura Healy opposing the law, according to reporting from the Sun Chronicle.
