Quincy planning staff, councilors back expanding TOD overlays to North Quincy and Crown Colony; planning board recommends combining into Quincy Adams TOD

Quincy, Massachusetts — City planning staff told the ordinance committee June 2 that the city seeks to expand its transit‑oriented development (TOD) overlay to include three office parcels near the North Quincy MBTA station and to add roughly 16 parcels in Crown Colony, a move the planning board has unanimously recommended.

Rob Stevens, deputy planning director, briefed councilors on the proposal and on the history of transit infrastructure that shaped both station areas. He said the North Quincy expansion would pick up three commercial properties—150 Newport Ave (built 1972), 100 Newport Ave (1980) and 200 Newport Ave (1985)—that are now aging and were previously restricted by industrial zoning. The Crown Colony expansion would add 16 parcels to create a mixed-use zoning framework for redevelopment.

Why it matters: The expanded TOD overlay is intended to encourage mixed-use development near MBTA stations, reduce vacancy in older office buildings, and increase the local tax base by adding residential and retail uses in transit-served locations. The planning board recommended the two areas share a single district name—Quincy Adams TOD—if the council moves forward.

Stevens recounted the district history, noting the original North Quincy TOD adopted in 2016 helped catalyze more than 600 housing units and about 50,000 square feet of retail anchored by a Target. Crown Colony, once a gravel operation, later became an office park served by the Quincy Adams station and interstate ramps; more recent projects there include the Elevation apartments and a BJ’s Wholesale. Stevens said the overlay includes dimensional standards already in place: a one-acre minimum lot size, an eight‑story height allowance, and shared‑parking provisions to support mixed uses.

Council reaction was broadly supportive. Councilor Thomas Devine said revitalizing the older office buildings could stabilize and grow the commercial tax base and help reduce residential tax burden. Councilor Ashe, who has worked in Crown Colony, said the area “is a ghost town” now and called the expansion “the logical next step.” Councilor McCarthy said mixed-use investment would make the area more productive.

What’s next: The ordinance committee did not vote on the amendment June 2 and continued the matter for further public hearings and committee deliberation on June 16. Stevens told the council the planning board had voted unanimously to issue a favorable report and recommended combining the Center Street and Crown Colony areas under the Quincy Adams TOD name if adopted.

Details cited in the presentation: the North Quincy expansion would add three commercial properties (100/150/200 Newport Ave) including one MBTA-owned parcel; Crown Colony expansion would bring 16 parcels into the overlay; zone language discussed includes a one-acre minimum lot size, eight-story maximum height in the overlay, and shared-parking rules to accommodate daytime and overnight parking demand.

No tax incentives were attached to the overlay itself: when asked, Stevens said the TOD overlay zoning does not itself create city tax breaks.