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Officials weigh form-based code and dimensional standards to manage downtown character
Summary
Staff and board members discussed deploying form-based code or targeted dimensional standards to allow density in growth areas while preserving downtown character; participants said form-based rules can be applied to limited areas rather than townwide.
Participants discussed form-based code as a tool to manage building form and protect neighborhood character while allowing higher density near water and sewer. A speaker asked whether the town must adopt form-based code for the entire municipality and was told a code can be applied selectively: "You can be more intense or less intense... Just 1 of the Eastern..." the staff member said, adding that form-based tools and design requirements could be layered to control scale, setbacks and streetscape.
Several members urged caution and more outreach before advancing a major form-based rewrite. One planning-board speaker said the council should be briefed so it would not be surprised by a technically complex package, and recommended minor technical amendments be advanced first so more deliberate design-based changes can be developed in workshops.
