Downtown CB District Amendments to be Advertised

FRAMINGHAM - The Framingham City Council’s Planning and Zoning Subcommittee voted to proceed with potentially reducing the area of the downtown Central Business district (CB) during their meeting on Wednesday, February 19, as the matter will be advertised to the public.‍

The CB area was approved by state officials for conditional compliance with the MBTA Communities Act in January. Mayor Charlie Sisitsky submitted the district for consideration in December to meet the requirements of the multifamily residential zoning act following months of deliberation between local officials and residents.‍

In early February, the City Council approved of the conditional compliance granted by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) through the downtown CB district. With that, some City Councilors have advocated in favor of working towards reducing the land area that the CB district comprises while still ensuring that Framingham meets the requirements of the conditional compliance. The state’s approval of the CB district initially accounted for less than 5,400 zoned units; Framingham has to offer zoning for 4,355 units in order to be compliant with the MBTA Communities Act.

Possible revisions to the CB area’s size, according to documents provided for Wednesday’s Planning and Zoning Subcommittee meeting, show that local leaders are primarily considering shrinking the district’s parameters both to the northwest and to the south of Waverly Street. The northwest portion of the borders could be brought from Beech Street down to Proctor Street, while more southern borders currently stretching onto paths such as Avon Street and Gordon Street could be brought closer towards Route 135 to the north.

District 1 City Council member and chair of the subcommittee Christine Long said that the shrunken CB district would provide space for about 4,375 units, while Framingham’s Director of Planning and Community Development Sarkis Sarkisian mentioned that the district could be reduced from its current area of 224 acres down to 125 acres.

Long told colleagues on Wednesday that since the CB district was approved at town meeting in 2015, about 750 multifamily housing units have been installed downtown, as the city could receive MBTA Communities Act credit for those units. The reduction proposal, according to Long, could also educe the area’s housing density from 90 units per acre down to 30 units per acre. She said that the initial intention of the CB district was to “revitalize” and “gentrify” the area.

“This district already allows by-right, multifamily zoning, so it actually makes perfect sense why this got submitted to EOHLC because it’s almost like no foul, no harm,” Long continued.

“Also: it’s within a half mile of the train station, which was the whole purpose of this—to create this type of density and this type of housing and mixed use for this purpose, because it is near transit, it is accessible to the train, you don’t have to have a car.”

Long expressed her belief that considering the amount of units that have gone up in the by-right CB area since 2015, future housing developments will not be built in bulk.

Sarkisian told subcommittee members that the CB district reduction plan has yet to be submitted because city officials still have to complete a third party economic feasibility analysis as part of their conditional compliance. He added that Sisitsky is looking for that report to be submitted as soon as possible while local leaders continue discussions regarding the CB district and the city’s compliance status.

District 2 City Councilor Brandon Ward echoed sentiments made by some residents during Wednesday’s meeting that urged officials to take their time with the report, as the City Council has the final authority on zoning matters like these.

“What we don’t want to happen is that we submit that report, our compliance goes from conditional to accepted, and then the mayor—and in turn you (Sarkisian)—are no longer supportive of this group in shrinking the district…I think that would be the concern: that the mayor and then his administration would feel like, ‘OK, we’ve done our job, we’ve got a compliance, if the City Council wants to go and change it and take us out of compliance, that’s now something that’s on the City Council’s plate,” Ward said.

“I think that would be the concern; I’m not saying that that’s what you’re feeling or what would take place.”

Sarkisian reiterated that these plans outlined by Sisitsky’s administration have been developed in support of a CB district reduction.

Members of the Planning and Zoning Subcommittee eventually voted on Wednesday to move forward with advertising the reduction of the CB district to the public.

City leaders mentioned earlier this month that additional housing considerations in other parts and properties in Framingham, such as Nobscot and Shoppers World, will be addressed in the future.