Brockton council adopts Fairgrounds Overlay District after contentious hearing, sets 1,750-unit cap by right

The Brockton City Council on Monday adopted a new zoning overlay to guide redevelopment of the former Brockton Fairgrounds, voting 9-1 to establish a Fairgrounds Overlay District (FOD) covering approximately 66.685 acres.

Supporters and opponents filled the council chamber for more than an hour of public comment before the council debated and amended the ordinance. The council’s final package set 1,750 residential units as allowed “by right” before additional units would require special-permit review; set a minimum of 1.5 parking spaces per residential unit; and preserved a requirement that 20% of the project be open space while specifying that at least 12% of the site must be ground-level green space.

The ordinance creates standards for mixed-use residential, commercial and light industrial uses on the Fairgrounds parcel and aligns site-plan review and special-permit procedures with state law and the city’s zoning code. It also makes the Brockton Planning Board the primary permitting authority for plan approvals under the FOD and incorporates procedural references to Massachusetts…