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Westborough planning staff propose streamlined downtown zoning to reduce parcel‑by‑parcel overlay reviews
Summary
Planning Director Jenny Jingris presented Article 31 to consolidate downtown zoning into a single Downtown Business district, clarify allowable mixed‑use activities (including multifamily), add one off‑street parking space per unit, and preserve Planning Board and design review oversight; staff said the change cleans up nonconforming uses and is tied to the town master and downtown plans.
Planning staff presented Article 31 to the Advisory Finance Committee on Feb. 9, describing the zoning change as an implementation step to align zoning with the town’s master plan and downtown plan.
Jenny Jingris said the article would consolidate parcels now governed by several districts and remove the need for parcel‑by‑parcel overlay reclassification at Town Meeting. "The bottom line is that this is an implementation step. It's meant to simplify downtown zoning and make it easier to use," she said.
The proposal keeps the existing downtown scale and the downtown planning overlay’s safeguards while allowing property owners clearer rules for mixed‑use, multifamily and commercial activity. Jingris said multifamily would become conforming in areas where it now exists as a nonconforming use, and the Planning Board recommended adding an explicit requirement of one off‑street parking space per multifamily unit. The proposal retains special‑permit review for higher‑impact changes, site‑plan review, design‑board oversight and inclusionary‑zoning requirements for affordable units.
Staff described outreach that included farmers‑market popups, mailings to property owners, library office hours and a high‑school survey to understand desired downtown amenities. Committee members asked about impacts on single‑family parcels abutting the downtown district and were told existing uses would remain lawful but new intense nonconforming increases would trigger special‑permit review.
Jingris said the Planning Board will continue public hearings and that changes are intended to reduce uncertainty for property and business owners while preserving the existing review process where impacts require mitigation.
