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Planning board studies changes to floor‑area rules for downtown CBD and CBD/SPE zones
Summary
Planner Ed Snieckus presented an FAR adjustment study for Westwood's Central Business District and CBD/SPE zones, illustrating build‑out examples and proposing upper‑floor tapering or stepbacks to preserve light, air and appropriate downtown scale.
The Westwood Planning Board reviewed a memo and illustrations on May 14 proposing adjustments to Floor Area Ratio (FAR) rules for the Central Business District (CBD) and the CBD/Special Pedestrian Environment (CBD/SPE) zones. Planner Ed Snieckus summarized existing limits (0.80 FAR in the CBD and 1.20 FAR in CBD/SPE) and presented conceptual build‑out models to show how mass and scale would result under current standards.
Snieckus illustrated a sample 5,000‑square‑foot lot in the CBD/SPE zone with a 60% building coverage producing a 6,000‑square‑foot total floor area at 1.20 FAR, and a 15,000‑square‑foot CBD example at 0.80 FAR. He proposed two sample regulatory approaches to encourage articulation of upper floors — both would limit the gross floor area of an upper floor to no more than 90% of the floor below, counting interior multi‑story spaces on each affected floor — and noted potential non‑conformities for existing two‑story buildings and the need to refine facade/stepback requirements to affect where tapering occurs.
Board members expressed interest in ensuring that upper‑floor articulation be visible from the street and discussed whether a form‑based requirement (frontage stepbacks) might better guarantee design results. William Martin and Snieckus indicated they will continue to craft revised FAR language for future meetings. No formal vote or ordinance change was taken at this session.
