Tewksbury Zoning Reform Would Adjust For Master Plans, Town Votes

TEWKSBURY, MA — A proposed zoning bylaw would convert a number of overlay districts into underlying districts, remove others, cap the density of multi-family developments outside of the town center, and require affordable units in multi-family developments, among a number of other changes. The proposed changes are the product of 35 meetings over years of work by the Zoning Bylaw Review Committee, created in 2016 by the Selectmen. The committee is currently conducting public presentations on their proposed changes, ahead of introducing them before town meeting.

The final of five presentations is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m., in Town Hall's Main Hall. Committee staff member and Assistant Town Manager Steve Sadwick presented the proposal, alongside Town Planner Anna McGinty, on Tuesday.

The town has been operating off a 2002 recodification of the zoning bylaw, Sadwick explained. Since that time, there have been two comprehensive master plans, as well as many town meeting votes.

The committee and its consultants "found a number of places in the existing bylaw where things were inconsistent," Sadwick said.

Some highlights of the proposal:

The Town Center, Village Residential, Village Mixed Use and South Village Overlay Districts are turned into districts, breaking up the current underlying Commercial District. Several districts and overlay districts are eliminated. The Great Swamp would be changed from a Heavy Industrial zone to a park zone. There are no more split-zoned parcels.

Outside of the Town Center, multi-family development would be capped at seven units per acre. All multi-family developments would require a minimum of 15 percent affordable units.

Quarter- and half-acre zones would be allowed, rather than the current acre minimum (with grandfathered exceptions), but no changes would be made to the map. That would be phase two, after town meeting passed the changes.

"To take on rezoning residential neighborhoods, and to do it right, is a monumental task that needs to be done aside from this," Sadwick said.

A couple of changes involve marijuana. There's a current 5,000 square foot cap for medical marijuana facilities, and they are required to be in single-use buildings. Those rules would be eliminated. Zoning rules for adult use marijuana establishments would also be created — previously, they were banned, but that ban expired.

The organization of the zoning bylaw is also changed, putting definitions first, followed by administration.

The full presentation is visible below, with the slideshow available here.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.