Planning Commission sets March 5 hearing on Jolina Court zoning, density bonus and affordable-housing provisions

The Richmond Planning Commission voted to set a public hearing for March 5 on a three-part package of zoning changes for the Jolina Court area: a Jolina Court zoning-district amendment, a residential density-bonus program, and a freestanding affordable-housing section intended to carry out Act 47 and Act 181 requirements.

Commissioners reviewed final edits and confirmed substantive limits in the density-bonus language. Staff and commissioners agreed the combined total residential density (base density plus bonus units) should not exceed 20 units per developable acre; earlier drafts had referenced 24 units, which the commission corrected. Commissioners also discussed the mechanics of the density-bonus program, which ties additional allowable units to public benefits such as affordable units, senior-ready or accessible units, and public parking or other community amenities.

Accessibility and technical-language edits drew sustained attention. Commissioners recommended explicitly citing the Americans with Disabilities Act or the most current technical standard for unit widths rather than only using the acronym, and clarified elevator-access phrasing for dwelling units located above ground floor. One commissioner suggested replacing an instruction fragment with a full sentence requiring that units above the ground floor be accessible by elevator when applicable.

Commissioners agreed to prepare short presentations for the selectboard explaining the package and the rationale (housing need, parking, flooding, accessibility). Staff also agreed to share the Richmond Housing Study (2022) and other data to support the selectboard briefing. The commission set the March 5 public hearing date by unanimous vote and plans to present consolidated, finalized documents at that meeting.