Urban Affairs Committee recommends denying rezoning of 36 Jefferson Street to Neighborhood Business

The Marlborough City Council Urban Affairs Committee on May 1 voted to recommend denial of a proposal to rezone 36 Jefferson Street (Map 56, Parcel 153) from Residence B to Neighborhood Business.

Attorney James McMahon, representing property owner Ramundo Neto, said the petitioner seeks rezoning so the parcel could be developed under Neighborhood Business rules and presented a concept for an 11-unit condominium project that the petitioner reduced in size after neighbor feedback. “What we're really looking for is the ability to build under the NB zoning code,” McMahon said.

But the Planning Board sent a written negative recommendation to the council, and members of the Urban Affairs Committee agreed. The planning board’s letter stated the board found the proposed uses under Neighborhood Business would negatively affect neighbors, that the developer had not shown the rezoning would provide a use not permitted elsewhere, and that without a comprehensive explanation for why the parcel had been excluded from earlier neighborhood business zoning, the change would not align with the zoning ordinance’s intent.

Committee members raised concerns the rezoning would remove municipal control over future development density and argued that a special-permit process would allow the council to negotiate specific project details and protections for neighbors. Councilor Naven, Councilor Doucette and others said a zoning change could make the lot more attractive to a future owner and permit denser redevelopment than the applicant now proposes.

The committee voted in favor of a motion to deny the rezoning; the chair recorded the committee vote as 4–0. The committee will report the recommendation to the full council; the denial recommendation will appear in the council process for the next meeting.