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Planning Commission Meeting – Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance Revisions – Work Session #2 – April 9, 2025 <br />3 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Of the ten developed lots, only one is more than 20 acres. Two of the remaining nine are more <br />than 10 acres. Again, keeping the current minimum requirements creates nonconforming lots. <br />3. Looking at site standards, many of the nonresidential front yard setbacks require 40 to 50 feet. <br />This is on the large side for most communities we work with. At a minimum, reducing the front <br />yard setback in the Mixed Use (former B-2) district below 50 feet would help establish a more <br />inviting pedestrian experience as redevelopment occurs. <br /> <br />If any front yard setbacks are revised, the corner side yard setback should be reduced <br />accordingly to match it. The MU corner side yard setback is already set at 20 feet. <br />4. In most nonresidential districts, height is limited to 35 feet. This is already being exceeded in <br />the I-1 district (Boston Scientific) and the INST district (at both Bethel and Northwestern). It <br />may be appropriate to increase the maximum height in these two districts. <br />5. The maximum lot coverage (for structures) is set unusually low in the Business Park district at <br />25%. In fact, it appears the majority of the current lots have coverage closer to 40%, making <br />them nonconforming. This current percentage should be increased. <br /> <br />6. Relatedly, the required amount of landscaped area in the BP and CC districts is quite low at 25% <br />and 20% respectively. A low maximum lot coverage for structures combined with a low <br />minimum landscape area may encourage extensive surface parking lots. Adjusting these two <br />requirements in a coordinated fashion would help reduce the chances of this happening and <br />encourage the right amount of landscaping in targeted districts. <br /> <br />Barring indications that other lot or site standards need to be addressed, the majority of the <br />requirements have been left as they are. A second set of draft tables for lot and site standards are <br />included with this memo as a starting point for discussion. <br />Principal and Accessory Use Tables <br />Examination of the current Land Use Chart has two parts. The first is to look closely at which uses are <br />called out in the chart and evaluate in which districts they are allowed to locate. The second part is to <br />determine how they are allowed (by-right, permitted with standards, conditional, etc.). <br /> <br />HKGi began the revision of a principal use table by grouping uses into categories such as Residential; <br />Public, Social & Institutional; Commercial, etc., and then by sub-categories such as Household Living, <br />Group Living, Lodging, Retail Sales & Services, etc. This helps a user navigate the table more quickly. <br />Second, where possible HKGi revised the list of uses, sometimes consolidating similar uses into a more <br />general line item and sometimes suggesting the addition of new uses that are missing.