Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Town Meeting Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Concord briefs Town Meeting warrant articles and 40B project updates ahead of spring hearings
Summary
Town staff told the roundtable that the Novo 40B will return to the Board of Appeals with minor revisions and that the Thoreau project has completed septic approval and is likely to proceed first; Planning Board members outlined zoning articles on the Annual Town Meeting warrant including MBTA overlay, mixed-use revisions, and a 10-foot height increase in a limited business district.
Select Board member Mark Howell and Community Development Director Alyssa Sandvoal summarized planning work tied to upcoming Town Meeting zoning articles and major 40B projects.
Sandvoal said Novo will return to the Board of Appeals with minor revisions — a unit-mix change, lobby and drainage updates — and that the applicant indicated interest in switching to the Local Initiative Program (LIP), which may modestly delay the schedule. She added a site visit is scheduled and demolition of the former Welch’s building is underway. Sandvoal reported the Thoreau project has completed pre-construction steps including septic approval and is expected to move ahead with permitting this summer, likely ahead of Novo.
On zoning, Sandvoal reviewed a slate of Planning Board articles headed to the Annual Town Meeting: Article 33 (updates to the MBTA Communities multifamily overlay district for state compliance, including boundary and floodplain-review adjustments); Article 34 (revisions to the mixed-use Combined Business Residence district to increase residential allowances and update affordable-housing thresholds); Article 32 (exterior lighting standards aligned with Dark Sky Massachusetts); Article 35 (wireless communication bylaw revisions to align with federal compliance); Article 36 (joint parking bylaw to allow shared parking across mixed-use developments); Article 37 (increase maximum height in the limited business district from 25 to 35 feet); and Article 38 (title correction from Building Inspector to Building Commissioner).
Why this matters: zoning changes and 40B project schedules determine where and how housing can be built and whether projects proceed under state 40B review or local initiatives. Several boards signaled support: the Housing Foundation reported a vote in favor of Articles 34 and 37, and the Housing Authority said it will consider a vote to support warrant articles at an upcoming meeting.
The roundtable did not record formal approvals by town boards during this session; items will move through Board of Appeals hearings, Planning Board review, and Town Meeting consideration in the coming months.
