Mixed Use Zoning - MAPC

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Mixed Use ZoningA Planners’ GuidePrepared by theMetropolitan Area Planning Councilwith support fromThe Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination andthe Commonwealth’s Priority Development Fund

Mixed Use Zoning:A Planners’ GuideThis basic guide to mixed use zoning presents the fundamentals you need to plan a mixeduse bylaw:– What is mixed use?– What are the benefits to your community? To developers?– What is the best process to plan mixed use zoning?– What issues should you consider in designing a bylaw?– How can you educate the public and address citizen concerns?This guide is based primarily on the experiences of five suburban communities currentlypreparing bylaws with assistance from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC),supported by grants from the state’s Priority Development Fund. MAPC alsoinvestigated the mixed use experiences of other communities in the region and elsewherein the state. Preparation of this guide, a companion guide and technical appendix forcitizens, and many of the public education materials used to shape the bylaws andeducate the public were developed with additional funding from the MAGIC subregion.1What is Mixed Use?Traditional zoning was developed during a time when factories and many commercialuses were noisy, smelly, and/or hazardous to the public. To protect public health andresidential property values, early zoning focused on separating different uses andbuffering them from each other to minimize nuisances.Today, much commercial development is environmentally benign, and there are oftenadvantages to locating different uses in close proximity. Mixed use concentrateddevelopment, preferably near transit, is seen as a key “smart growth” tool to reduce autodependence and preserve green space and natural resources. Thus many communities areturning to “mixed use,” which generally refers to a deliberate mix of housing, civic uses,and commercial uses, including retail, restaurants, and offices.Mixed use itself is not a newidea. Housing above storeswas common in villagecenters before the advent ofzoning, as this1865photograph of HarvardSquare, Cambridge, shows.MAGIC – the Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination – is a subregion of theMetropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC). MAGIC consists of officials from Acton, Bedford, Bolton,Boxborough, Carlisle, Concord, Hudson, Lexington, Lincoln, Littleton, Maynard, and Stow.11

Mixing uses, however, works best when it grows out of a thoughtful plan that emphasizesthe connectivity and links among the uses. Results may be haphazard when communitiessimply enable multiple uses without providing guidance about the mix of uses and howthey are spatially related.To achieve well-planned mixed use development, most ofthe bylaws described in this guide are “overlay” districts.This means that the underlying zoning remains in place.Developers may choose to develop according to theunderlying zoning or, alternatively, according to the mixeduse provisions. The overlay encourages coordinated,cohesive development among lots or through lotconsolidation. The overlay approach is especially usefulwhen the community wants to promote a unified approach in an area where there are twoor more underlying districts.If the community wants to encourage mixed use, the overlay should be structured to beattractive to developers and the requirements should not be onerous. The municipalitytypically retains control through the special permit process and can turn down anydevelopment not to its liking.What are the Benefits of Mixed Use Development?Different communities choose mixed use for different reasons. Some see it as anexcellent way to incorporate a mix of housing types on a small scale while enhancingtraditional town character. Others see it primarily as a vehicle for revitalizing strugglingareas and spurring economic development. Still others use it to create or enhance villagecenters. Listed below are some of the many benefits of mixed use development: Spurs revitalizationEncourages high quality design by providing both greater flexibility and morecontrolPreserves and enhances traditional village centersPromotes a village-style mix of retail, restaurants, offices, civic uses, and multifamily housingProvides more housing opportunities and choicesMay increase affordable housing opportunitiesEnhances an area’s unique identity and development potential (e.g., villagecenters, locations near bike paths, or “gateway” areas that announce acommunity’s strengths)Promotes pedestrian & bicycle travelReduces auto dependency, roadway congestion, and air pollution by co-locatingmultiple destinationsPromotes a sense of communityPromotes a sense of placeEncourages economic investment2

Promotes efficient use of land and infrastructureGuides development toward established areas, protecting outlying rural areas andenvironmentally sensitive resourcesEnhances vitalityImproves a municipality’s Commonwealth Capital scoreEmbodies “Smart Growth”Increases revenuesAlthough mixed use is especially applicable near public transportation, it has advantagesfor other areas as well. Benefits include the preservation of undeveloped orenvironmentally sensitive land elsewhere in the community, opportunities for more ordifferent housing, bicycle and pedestrian-friendly destinations, and an enhanced sense ofplace or sense of community.In developing a bylaw, communities should select the advantages that best apply andstructure the provisions to accomplish these goals.What is the Best Process to Plan Mixed Use Zoning?In the communities we studied closely, mixed use was recommended in local MasterPlans, Comprehensive Plans, Community Development Plans, or other studies. Theplans themselves were the product of substantial public participation, involving the buyin of local officials, planners, developers, property and business owners, and otherinterested citizens. The towns then officially adopted the plans. Thus they began withsome community expression of a will to move forward with mixed use as one of anumber of strategies to improve future development.Going from concept to location-specific plans is often a challenge, evoking fears andstrong emotions. It is wise to keep people involved in the process as the bylaw evolvesand get their input into both the overall concept and the details. Participation by potentialdevelopers and existing property owners is especially important in shaping the bylaw.One way to engage the community is to do a Visual Preference Poll to show examples ofmixed use and gather citizen feedback on what they like and don’t like. To do this, wecompiled a Powerpoint presentation showing examples of mixed use in the region. Weasked residents to vote for those they would like to see in the areas being considered formixed use in their community. We then went back through the presentation and askedthem to identify the features they liked and the features they did not like. Some of theexamples appear in this guide. A sample Visual Preference Poll is also available on CDROM for use in your community.The Visual Preference Poll is useful in gathering input about building heights, massing,materials, style, pedestrian amenities, signage, and other close-in features. It does notreadily gauge the larger context, the mix of uses, the relationship among differentstructures and uses, multi-building landscaping and design features that createconnectivity and pedestrian flow, or parking areas relative to multiple locations.3

Mixed Use in PracticeThe five communities we worked closely withare Bedford, Millis, Southborough, Stoughton,and Stow, all suburban and some quite small.We also reviewed the experiences of othercommunities, most notably Canton, where amixed use bylaw passed and a newdevelopment, with housing, retail, and offices,was built near the Canton Center Rail station.New Mixed Use in CantonSpecific areas in each town were chosen fora variety of reasons. Some, like Depot Parkin Bedford, already had some improvementsbut also had ripe revitalization potential.Bedford’s Depot Park ImprovementsOthers, like the Lower Village area in Stow,are places where housing and a mix of useswould create more of a village atmosphereand improve the “gateway” potential of thismain route into town.Bedford OpportunitiesIn most cases, the vision is to create avibrant and attractive village-style areawith a lively mix of housing, retail,restaurants, offices, and othercompatible uses.Stow Lower Village Vision for the Village Center at the formerSouth Weymouth Naval Air Station4

Although the Visual Preference Poll is useful in shaping certain aspects of the bylaws,especially the design standards, you will need to supplement it with additional discussionof a range of issues, many of which are presented below.It is critical that these issues be aired fully and resolved in advance of considerationon the floor of Town Meeting or before Town or City councils.What Should You Consider in Drafting a Bylaw?Using an Overlay District vs. Changing Underlying ZoningAn “overlay” district is a zoning district that is superimposed over one or more existingdistricts in order to impose additional restrictions, permit additional uses, or implementdensity bonuses or incentive zoning to achieve community goals.2 In the case of mixeduse zoning, it is used to allow added uses and to provide incentives to achieve local goals.Thus developers can develop either according to the underlying zoning or according tomore flexible mixed use provisions.The overlay, as we have noted, encourages coordinated, cohesive development across lotsor through lot consolidation. Rather than allowing piecemeal development, it encouragesa sense of place over a larger area. The overlay allows the community to enable andrequire a mix of uses and to control their features. Changing the underlying zoning toallow a mix by right would only enable the mix but would not require it nor would itcontrol it via the special permit process. The overlay concept is especially useful wherethe desired mixed use area crosses zoning district boundaries or includes only a piece of adistrict or where the community wishes to protect commercial or industrial uses in partsof a district.Selecting the Permit-Granting AuthorityMixed use proposals should be reviewed and authorized by a board with substantialplanning expertise and the ability to act with relative speed. The longer and lesspredictable the approval process, the less likely it is that developers will choose themixed use route. Most of the communities in our study selected the Planning Board asthe most appropriate review and approval body. The Planning Board generally has moredesign and development negotiation experience than the Zoning Board of Appeals. ThePlanning Board process is substantially less cumbersome, more expeditious, and moreconsistent and predictable than Town Meeting. In some communities, however, theZoning Board traditionally grants special permit and residents may be more comfortablewith that arrangement. In this guide, we simply refer to the permit-granting authority as“the board.”2Mark Bobrowski, Handbook of Massachusetts Land Use and Planning Law, 1993, p, 480.5

Balancing Incentives and RequirementsTo encourage developers to use the mixed use option, the bylaw needs to includeincentives and provide for community control while avoiding excessively burdensomerequirements. It is easy for local boards to be carried away by utopian visions of the idealdevelopment, but if the bylaw raises too many hurdles it will never be used.The choice of incentives and requirements should be based on the community’s goals andthe purpose of the bylaw. A town that is primarily trying to promote revitalization, forexample, may have less stringent housing requirements than one where affordablehousing is a primary goal. Thus the proposed Bedford bylaw, geared towardrevitalization, requires 10 percent affordable housing in developments of eight units ormore while Southborough, where affordable housing is a key goal, is considering 20percent in developments of four units or more.3The choice of incentives should also consider what is most likely to appeal to developersin the areas under consideration. Communities may choose from a number of potentialincentives, such as:– The ability to build certain kinds of housing (e.g., multi-family or small units) whereit is not otherwise allowed– More flexible design standards– Less open space where flexibility produces better design– Less parking, provided that adequate parking is achieved through such alternatives asshared parking arrangements; higher reliance on public transportation, bicycling, orwalking; or transportation demand management techniques– Streamlined permittingIn balancing incentives and requirements, it is important to remember that the communityretains control through the special permit process. The special permit ensures highquality design. The board may always say no or negotiate more desirable design.Setting the Tone and Establishing the ScopeMixed use is intended as an improvement over traditional, segregated-use zoning. Itoften derives from a positive vision of a more desirable community. The bylaw shouldhelp set this tone, emphasizing what the developer can do while limiting prohibitions.Sometimes even a prohibition can be affirmatively phrased; “up to” 40,000 square feetsounds more affirmative than “no more than” 40,000 square feet.The bylaw should spell out its purposes, goals, and benefits and may include positiveperformance criteria and design standards. The bylaws in our study rely heavily on thesecomponents to set the tone and to give the board the tools to support good design.3Most of the bylaws referred to in this guide are still works in progress and have not yet been adopted.Provisions could change radically or be rejected totally.6

Application procedure requirements and document submission information should go atthe end of the bylaw, appearing after the reader is engaged by the mixed use concept. Ingeneral, those bylaw provisions that mirror other local bylaws should simply refer to theapplicable sections without repeating the details.Selecting the Areas and BoundariesOur study communities selected for mixed use those areas whereRun-down properties were prime candidates for redevelopment;Existing zoning limited creativity; and/orVillage-style development would improve community character.Some of the most underutilized or unattractive sitesare currently zoned for industrial uses. Communitiesare faced with a challenge in dealing with these sites.On the one hand, the properties could be much moreattractive as village-style mixed use development.On the other hand, industrial property is a limited butnecessary resource, and there is some reluctance togive it up. These competing factors will playthemselves out in the selection of areas and theirboundaries.Establishing boundaries for mixed use districts isvery site-specific. In general, boundaries should beselected to protect desirable existing uses andproperties and to ensure smooth transitions to surrounding areas.Some communities, such as Southborough, chose to start small with the hope ofpotentially expanding later. Other communities, such as Stow, selected larger areas,incorporating “A” and “B” subareas to ensure a gradual transition to and from theneighboring residential areas.As with the other issues outlined here, the choice should be based on substantial inputfrom local officials, property owners, developers, abutters, and other citizens.Achieving Good DesignMany of these elements of good design apply to all development, and it is beyond ourscope to discuss them all here. However, certain aspects seem especially relevant tomixed use and thus are included here.Variations in ApproachThere are two basic ways communities can regulate the design of new development,whether mixed use or single use. One is to set specific density standards such as units per7

acre, floor area ratio, or percent lot coverage limits. The other is to establish moregeneral design criteria and performance standards and use the special permit process tonegotiate the outcomes. In this latter approach, parking and water and sewerinfrastructure, along with design elements such as connectivity, walkability, andarchitectural features, are used to guide development.In the case of mixed use, several of our study communities have opted to omit specificdensity standards in the belief that greater flexibility will lead to better design. Thisapproach seems in keeping with the vision of mixed use as more flexible, innovative, andcontext-sensitive than traditional zoning. The approach is open to debate. Some believethat density itself is seldom the problem; bad design is. Others say that citizens needmore assurance that development will not be too dense and developers prefer clearerrules. Knowledge of your community’s predilections will help you gauge whichapproach is most appropriate. A compromise might be to limit density but allow it to gohigher under certain circumstances or to cap the total number of units over a givennumber of years.Design Features in a Mixed Use SettingBalanced mix of uses: To be successful, a mixed use district should include a balancedand vibrant mix of compatible uses, with first floor street-front uses generally reservedfor retail, restaurant, and in some cases office uses. The proposed bylaws in our studycommunities encourage this mix by regulating first-floor street front uses and byincorporating a goals and performance criterion that considers a development’s mix andits impact on the existing mix. Thus they allow residential uses on first floors ofbuildings or parts of buildings only where they are behind those with street frontage orwhere the permit-granting authority deems these uses not to have an adverse impact.These bylaws also allow uses to be commingled in a single structure or located inseparate structures on site.Other communities set limitations on the percentage of certain uses relative to other uses.For example, Canton allows one housing unit for every 2,000 square feet of buildable lotarea and also allows for 3,000 square feet of commercial development for each 10,000square feet of land area. Bedford limits the floor area ratio (FAR) of each of the variouspossible uses within its existing Industrial Mixed Use Overlay district.Connectivity of uses: Traditional bylaws tend to emphasize buffering and protecting oneuse from others. Successful mixed use, by contrast, encourages links among uses. Itencourages people to walk from one use to another and to enjoy and socialize in anattractive outdoor setting. Many design features promote this ambience. They includethe layout and orientation of buildings; the network of sidewalks and pathways; thelocation of parking relative to structures and walkways; and the amount and placement ofgreen space, landscaping, benches, and other amenities.The bylaw should authorize the board to consider these factors in approving permits.Specifics may include requirements for parking to be behind or next to buildings rather8

than in front. The community may wish to adopt separate design guidelines to providemore information and positive examples to developers.Active street frontage: In addition to the first-floor street-front use provisions mentionedearlier, communities influence street frontage through setbacks and other yarddimensions. Thus our study area bylaws allow a zero minimum front yard depth in someareas, set a maximum front yard depth, and prohibit front yard parking.Compactness: The walkability of a mixed use development depends on the proximity ofstructures. Thus some bylaws set dimensional requirements that allow a zero side-yardwidth and a zero rear yard depth except where the property abuts a residential district.Compatibility with town character and historic or traditional context: Although thebylaw

New Mixed Use in Canton Mixed Use in Practice The five communities we worked closely with are Bedford, Millis, Southborough, Stoughton, and Stow, all suburban and some quite small. We also reviewed the experiences of other communities, most notably Canton, where a mixed use bylaw passed and a new development, with housing, retail, and offices,

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