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Planning director outlines changes to Westborough inclusionary zoning (Article 16)
Summary
Planning Director Jenny King Kinggriss presented Article 16 to consolidate inclusionary housing provisions, add a 10-unit minimum threshold, tier affordability between 50–80% AMI (15% of units) and higher workforce tiers, set a local-preference order and require 25% of affordable units be ADA-compliant; a payment-in-lieu formula (2× 80% AMI for a family of four = $195,600) is included as an alternative.
At the Sept. 16 Advisory Finance Committee meeting, Planning Director Jenny King Kinggriss presented Article 16, which would consolidate Westborough’s scattered inclusionary rules into a single bylaw and change how and when inclusionary requirements apply.
King said the proposed bylaw sets a 10-unit minimum for applicability, on the grounds that smaller projects under 10 units were found to be economically infeasible for developing dedicated affordable units. The bylaw retains a 20% affordability requirement in principle but would split the requirement into tiers for rental projects (for example, 15% designated between 50–80% AMI and additional units targeted to workforce tiers up to about 110–120% AMI). She said the latest housing-production analysis found many town employees—including police officers, firefighters and teachers—qualify for workforce housing.
King cited HUD income limits for Worcester County, saying the median family income is $147,400 and that 80% AMI for a four-person household is $97,800. She described a payment-in-lieu option for developers who receive a special permit to avoid building units; the draft sets the fee equal to twice the 80% AMI value for a four-person household (2 × $97,800 = $195,600 per unit). King said the planning board must include findings about the affordable housing trust fund balance and the town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory when approving a special permit for payment in lieu.
Committee members pressed whether developers will choose to pay rather than build, whether the fee should be higher, and whether the bylaw would grandfather projects; King said the change applies prospectively and the planning board has discretion under the special-permit findings. Members also confirmed the bylaw requires affordable units to be comparable in quality and to include a mix of bedroom sizes, and that the bylaw includes a local-preference ordering (current residents, town employees, veterans).
A public hearing was scheduled for the Planning Board on the following evening at the Forbes Municipal Building.
