Ordinance committee recommends Fairgrounds Overlay District after weeks of negotiation

BROCKTON, Mass. — The Ordinance Committee on Monday recommended an amended zoning ordinance to create a Fairgrounds Overlay District covering parcels identified in the proposal, advancing a major redevelopment plan for the former fairgrounds site.

The committee, chaired by Shirley Azack, voted to accept changes drafted by the city’s legislative counsel and law department and to substitute those edits into the ordinance, then voted to recommend the ordinance as amended to the full City Council. The discussion centered on how much land the overlay will cover, how many housing units are allowed by right, design standards and procedural guardrails for site plan review.

The move matters because developers have discussed investing between $600 million and $1 billion in the site. "There are 66 acres of land available to fairgrounds. We have a very qualified developer who's willing to invest between 600,000,000 and 1,000,000,000," said Councilor Philip Griffin, Ward 3. Mayor Robert Sullivan said he supports the proposal and described the property as “the most important piece of property in the city of Brockton.”

The ordinance as presented during the meeting includes language that would: establish the Fairgrounds Overlay District as an overlay on the underlying C-2 zoning for parcels…