Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Incentives topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission approves Nora district text amendment to allow extra stories for residential projects using housing incentives
Summary
The City Commission voted May 27 to amend the Downtown Master Plan, removing strict story limits for qualifying residential projects in the Nora district so long as projects reserve at least 65% of gross building area for residential uses and meet design standards.
The City Commission on May 27 approved a privately initiated zoning text amendment (ordinance 5134‑25) to the Downtown Master Plan that eliminates the separate story‑count limit for residential developments in the Nora (North Railroad Avenue) district when projects participate in the downtown housing incentive program.
Joe First, a principal for the Nora project, and Chris Kimberly, senior urban designer, said the change responds to an identified mismatch between story limits and floor‑to‑ceiling heights used in office calculations. Kimberly said office floor‑to‑ceiling standards (typically 15 feet) translated inefficiently to residential designs and small infill parcels, resulting in projects reaching the story cap before using available floor area ratio (FAR) and, consequently, reducing the number of incentive‑required workforce and affordable housing units.
Under the amendment, projects that allocate at least 65% of gross building area to residential use, maintain a minimum finished floor height of 9 feet for residential floors and meet other design standards may eliminate the story limit and rely on maximum height limits. The change does not increase overall district maximum heights; instead it allows architects to compress floors to optimize residential layouts. The applicant said using the 125‑foot height allowance rather than a strict eight‑story cap increases the number of on‑site affordable units in an example project from 30 to 48 units.
Staff recommended approval, and both the Downtown Action Committee and the Planning Board had recommended approval. The commission approved first reading and scheduled second reading for June 9, 2025.
Supporters framed the amendment as a technical fix that unlocks greater affordable housing delivery on constrained infill parcels. Kimberly said the downtown master plan update consultant had reviewed and endorsed the change and that the DMP update will continue to evaluate other districts for similar adjustments to ensure consistent application citywide.
Commissioners and staff agreed the change aims to balance neighborhood transitions and preserve lower‑scale residential cores while allowing additional height/intensity along district edges where appropriate.
