Land Use Committee approves 285-home PUD on Commonwealth Avenue after applicant adds buffers, lot mix

The City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee approved a planned-unit development rezoning Tuesday that will allow up to 285 single-family homes on roughly 24 acres along Commonwealth Avenue.

Planning staff recommended approval, saying the PUD’s density — about 2.3 units per acre — and its mix of lot widths would be consistent with the city’s comprehensive plan. The committee voted 7-0 after the applicant accepted revised exhibits and two conditions, including a traffic study at civil‑site review.

The PUD departs from conventional code by fixing the maximum unit count at 285 and requiring a mix of 40-, 50- and 60-foot-wide lots; it also sets buffers and vinyl fencing along portions of the northeast and southern property boundaries and clusters development away from wetlands, according to the staff report presented at the hearing.

Michael Sitner, speaking for the applicant, said the project team…