1. Rezoning Northampton for a Sustainable Future

2. The Zoning Revisions Committee (ZRC)
Who We Are
– A volunteer committee,
appointed by the Planning
Board
– Formed to help implement
“Sustainable Northampton”
(the city’s comprehensive
master plan adopted in 2008)
– Selected to represent a
variety of viewpoints,
expertise and neighborhoods

3. Rezoning Northampton for a Sustainable Future
Our Charge: Get Sustainability into Zoning
– Review current zoning & recommend revisions
– Be a technical resource for the Planning Board
– Provide a wide range of opportunities for public
input to the zoning revision process

4. Infill is a Key Issue
Infill Rose to the Surface as a Critical Issue for Sustainability
 Infill is new construction or redevelopment that 'fills in' empty lots or adds units
or uses in areas that are already developed
 Infill is an important tool for concentrating development in walkable
neighborhoods, rather than sprawling into undeveloped areas
 Infill is the historic pattern of development in Northampton
Parking Lots

5. Flavors of Infill – Adding Units Within Existing Homes
BEFORE: 2-UNITS AFTER: 3-UNITS
House 030.jpg
ATTIC CONVERSION = “INVISIBLE INFILL”

6. Flavors of Infill – Converting Outbuildings to New Units
CARRIAGE HOUSE CONVERSION, BUTLER PLACE

7. Flavors of Infill – Converting Garages to New Units
BEFORE
AFTER

8. Flavors of Infill – Building Additions
BRIDGE STREET & POMEROY TERRACE

9. Flavors of Infill – Filling Gaps in the Street
?
?
How should this gap in Walnut Street be filled?

10. Infill and Sustainability
Environment
– Reduces the need for new infrastructure, and reduces driving
– Can be more energy efficient and lower carbon emissions
– Is less damaging to natural systems than “greenfield” development
Economy
– Increases walking to businesses, supporting more commercial real estate and local jobs
– Makes public transit more viable
Equity
– Provides a wide range of housing types and work spaces that meet peoples’ needs
To Meet the Goals of Sustainable Northampton:
– Traditional neighborhoods, village, and mixed-use commercial centers will need to
accommodate additional units (infill)
– But, it must be designed in a way that respects its surroundings and creates a "sense of
place"

11. Forum #1: What We Learned
General support for infill and mixed-use development in commercial and residential
districts, especially in existing neighborhoods within walking distance to
businesses and green spaces, because infill…
 Makes the city more sustainable
 Encourages economic development
 Provides affordable units for renters and income for owners
 Makes neighborhoods more walkable
Support for infill as long as it is compatible with neighborhoods, including:
 Scale
 Design
 Traffic

12. Forum #2: Why We’re Here
After Forum #1:
We considered how to create more flexible regulations that…
- Allow for a greater mix of uses
- Allow some new residential units and new options like cottage housing
- Ensure that this happens in a way that is compatible with our neighborhoods
We Need Community Feedback On:
- Topic #1: Home Business
Proposed approach to regulate home occupations in a simple, flexible way that
ensures that business uses will be compatible with residential neighborhoods
- Topic #2: Dimensional Standards for Infill
Possible approaches to allowing for a greater variety of residential developments
- Topic #3: Residential Design Standards
Design standards we should have for residential development, and what types of
projects they should apply to

13. Simplify Home Business Permitting
 What We Heard About Mixed-Uses (Forum #1)
- Should be allowed in commercial and residential areas…
- Provided that it is in scale and compatible with surrounding uses
 What We Did
- Worked on zoning to allow more uses in commercial districts
- Now working on more mixed-use in residential neighborhoods
The key step is revising “Home Occupation” provisions. We’re proposing
replacing them with what we call “Home Business.”

14. Simplify Home Business Permitting
Overview of Current Regulations
 A home occupation does not require Special Permit only if:
– No clients or customers are seen on site
– There is no sign for the business
– There are no sales of goods from the premises
– You don’t meet or work with other people in your house
 If home business activity doesn’t fit this narrow definition, then a Special
Permit is required to allow a small sign, sale of goods from the home, or one
other person to work with you

15. Simplify Home Business Permitting
Goal
 Allow many types of home business by right, but minimize impacts
on neighborhood
 Allow current illegal home businesses to operate legally
Strategies
 Regulate auto traffic instead of clients and customers seen
 Don’t distinguish between types of visits (by client, employee,
delivery person, contractor, etc.)

16. Simplify Home Business Permitting
Proposed Home Businesses Changes Allowed Without Special Permit
 No more than 5 automobile round trips per day can be generated by the business
 A one square foot sign, attached to building and not lighted, is allowed
 Home made goods can be sold from the premises
 Up to two “open studios” to sell home made goods permitted per year
Special Permit Required If the Home Business…
 Generates more than 5 automobile round trips per day
 Holds more than 2 open studio functions per year
 Stores materials outdoors (as long as not visible
from street or adjacent properties)

17. Simplify Home Business Permitting
Benefits for Sustainability
Supports…
 Infill and uses existing structures for multiple purposes
 Entrepreneurship, and lowers barriers to small business
 Equity - applies to all kinds of work equally (professional services, home
made goods, etc.)
Reduces…
 Traffic and use of nonrenewable resources
– Note: A recent report states that telecommuting opportunities have
increased 400% in the last three years
 Cost of doing business in Northampton
 Regulations - fewer special permits required

18. Simplify Home Business Permitting
We Need Your Feedback
 Does 5 automobile round trips per day seem reasonable?
 Should we allow any outdoor storage?
 What didn't we think of?
 Does the proposed zoning meet the goals of the Sustainability Plan?

19. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
What Are Dimensional Standards?
– Regulations that govern development, e.g. location of buildings on a lot
– Standards are different for each zone and use – examples include minimum…
• Lot sizes
• Setbacks, or distance between a building and the property line
• Frontage, or length of property line along the street
• Percentage open space
What We Heard at Public Forum #1:
– General support for infill development within walking distance of stores, offices, jobs,
parks, bike paths, etc.
– Preference for small projects over big ones (i.e. filling gaps in the street, adding units to
existing houses and accessory buildings, converting large houses)
– Design is important (covered later)
– Traffic and infrastructure are concerns
– Infill should not disproportionately affect one area of the city

20. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
What We Did:
- Identified Dimensional Standards as key barrier to infill development in existing
neighborhoods
- Studied current neighborhood dimensions in depth
- Researched innovative housing development types and zoning changes being
made in other cities to allow for more innovative developments
- Developed proposals for changing dimensional standards

21. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
Sustainability Benefits of Dimensional Standards Changes to Allow Infill
Environment:
 More people live in walking distance to goods and services = less driving
Economy:
 More residents to support nearby businesses, both existing and new – (and more businesses
nearby will make neighborhoods even more walkable)
 Rental income for property owners
 More disposable income due to lower car expenses (more walking = less driving)
Equity:
 More variety of in-town housing = more people can afford to live here
 Current regulations make in-town properties non-conforming*, placing extra burdens on in-
town property owners
*Non-Conforming refers to a property that is used or structures that are built in a way that is not
permitted by the zoning for the property. The use is “grandfathered”, or permitted to continue,
because the land was being used in such a fashion before the zoning law was passed.

23. Zoning Out Traditional Neighborhoods
What percentage of homes in our urban neighborhoods do not conform to current
minimum lot size zoning regulations?*
URC
- 63% of 1-3 family homes do not conform Takeaway:
- 83% of 4 family homes do not conform
- Zoning doesn’t
URB match our existing
- 32% of 1 family homes do not conform neighborhoods
- 62% of 2 family homes do not conform
- 82% of 3 family homes do not conform - We have great
urban
URA
neighborhoods that
- 35% of 1 family homes do not conform
can never be built
- 100% of 2 family and multiple-family homes do not
again!
conform (they are not allowed)
*This analysis looked only at conformance with lot size requirements. An analysis of
properties that also meet minimum setback, frontage and other requirements would
yield even higher rates of non-conformance

24. Zoning Out Traditional Neighborhoods
Example: Walnut Street – Properties that Do Example: Elizabeth Street – This 2-Family
Not Conform to their Zoning (by lot size) Home Could Not be Built Today
84%
― Lot Size: 5,183 Square Feet
― Today, would need 12,000 SF to build
this home
― Would need 8,000 SF to even build a
single family home
84% could not be built on these lots today!

25. Innovative Infill Housing NOT Allowed
COTTAGE & POCKET HOUSING

26. Adaptive Reuse Infill Housing NOT Allowed
Allowed Downtown, but….
Not allowed in Leeds…
ADAPTIVE REUSE OF OBSOLETE BUILDINGS

27. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
Summary: Problems with The Current Zoning
 The current dimensional regulations are designed to DECREASE the density of
existing neighborhoods, while the sustainability plan says to INCREASE density -
and that was confirmed in our last public meeting on infill
 Innovative housing types, especially where people have smaller homes with
shared yards (e.g. cottage housing), are not allowed
 Adaptive reuse of obsolete structures like old churches and schools for housing is
not possible in our neighborhoods

28. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
Proposed Changes
We have developed three possible methods for fixing the dimensional standards:
1. Fix the standards in the dimensional tables to bring them closer to what
currently exists in the neighborhoods
That means changing the numbers for lot sizes, setback distances, frontages, etc.
2. Replace the dimensional tables with “performance-based” requirements
3. Don’t change the dimensional standards (yet)
Instead, create a special permit for infill
(Note: Any of these solutions can be paired with Design Standards - discussed later)

29. Existing Zoning: URB 2-family
Minimum Lot: 12,000 SF
Example Zoning Change: URB 2-family
Smaller frontage, setbacks and lot size
Minimum Lot: 8,000 SF

30. Existing Zoning: URB 1-family
Minimum Lot: 8,000 SF
Example Zoning Change: URB 1-family
Smaller frontage, setbacks and lot size
Minimum Lot: 6,000 SF

31. Infill and Innovative Dvpts in Neighborhoods
Performance-Based Zoning Approach
This approach does not regulate number of units per lot area
If you meet setback, parking and open space requirements, you can build your project
Also provides an easy
approach to allow for
innovative developments
like cottage housing
without requiring a special
permit.

32. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
Considerations: Changing the Dimensional Standards to Allow Infill
 Brings our traditional neighborhoods into greater conformance with our zoning
regulations, and allows good neighborhoods to be reproduced
 Allows flexible reuse of existing buildings and properties in face of changing
household sizes and needs
 More people in neighborhoods makes a community more vibrant and increases
safety through more “eyes on the street”
 Residents of neighborhoods where you can walk to services and jobs drive less,
but there are more total drivers
 New construction can be beautiful and add to the “sense of place” of the
neighborhood, but sometimes neighbors don’t like the way a particular project
looks (design is discussed later)
 Reduces the need for expensive new infrastructure, but also increases use of
existing infrastructure

33. Dimensional Standards in Urban Residential Zones
Where We Need Your Feedback:
 Do you support any of the methods we have proposed?
– Fix the dimensional tables to match our existing neighborhoods
e.g. reduce lot size, frontage, setbacks. Keeps the basic structure and allows new
units if the development meets minimum lot size and other requirements
– Replace the dimensional tables with performance-based standards
Allows new units no matter what lot size exists, as long as you can meet setback,
parking, open space (and design) regulations
– Create a special permit for infill
Only allow new units on a case-by-case basis through Planning Board special permit
Could be used to test above methods
 What are your concerns? How can we address these concerns to make
one of these methods or another strategy work for you?

34. Residential Design Standards
What are design standards?
Design standards are regulations that can govern how
development should look
Examples include how buildings should be sited and
configured on a lot, how tall and how bulky the
structure should be, and what architectural
details should be present
How do design standards work?
- Development plans are reviewed based on
whether they meet the design standards
- For example, all plans in the Central Business
zoning district are reviewed for compliance with
the city’s Design Guidelines for the district
Sustainability Goal: Promote design that fits into
neighborhoods so that new development makes
the city a better place.

35. Forum #1: What We Learned
 Design is important!
 The zoning should encourage infill that….
– Is in scale and architectural character with its surroundings
– Has a similar relationship to the street as neighboring structures
 Residents more likely to accept infill if there is assurance through design
standards that it will fit in with their neighborhood
House 030.jpg

36. Residential Design Standards
Possible Zoning Solutions:
Apply design standards to…
– All development in neighborhoods
– Developments over a certain size, e.g. projects that
renovate or add more than 700 square feet
– Only to new buildings
– Only to infill that requires a special permit
(only to new buildings, additions or units not
currently allowed by right )
Create standards that are…
– Detailed and specific
e.g. require specific architectural details
– General and less specific, evaluating general “fit”
with the neighborhood
e.g. based on existing conditions on that block

37. Examples of Residential Design Standards
Springfield, Massachusetts Residential Design Guidelines
Site layout, materials, architectural detailing and other characteristics
Knoxville, Tennessee Infill Housing Design Guidelines
Site layout, parking, materials, building scale, porches, roof shapes, landscaping, etc.

38. Residential Design Standards
List of Possible Items Covered by Design
Standards:
– Splitting large lots into two narrower lots
– Building and front façade height
– Setbacks
– Size and front setbacks for porches
–Location of front door and walkway to street
– Size and position of windows
– Location of garage or parking area
– Roof shape
–Location and height of
additions
– Design of multi-unit
buildings / townhomes
– Standards for modern
architecture homes

39. Residential Design Standards
We Need Community Feedback On….
Would you be comfortable with regulations on the design of projects in your neighborhood
and on your property?
What kinds or what scale of projects should design standards apply to? (e.g. all projects,
projects of a certain size, only infill special permit projects, other ideas?)
How detailed should the design standards be?
Should they require specific details OR evaluate general “fit” with the neighborhood?
Should they allow only traditional architectural styles OR encourage modern architecture too?
Should they be the same for the whole city OR based on other homes in each neighborhood?