Massachusetts Smart Growth Zoning
Massachusetts Smart Growth Zoning
Amesbury—Gateway Village
Haverhill—Downtown, 305 Units Built
Smart Growth Districts are catching on slowly across Eastern Massachusetts. The Smart Growth Zoning and Housing Production Act (generally known as Chapter 40R) offers financial incentives to encourage cities and towns to zone for compact residential and mixed-use development in smart growth locations. Since 2004, 27 cities and towns have adopted 40R districts with zoning for up to 9,780 housing units statewide, an increase of 9,000 permissible units as compared to the prior zoning. The statute sets out three types of smart growth locations: (1) locations within a half mile of a transit station; (2) locations that include an area of concentrated development; or (3) locations that are otherwise “highly suitable” (by virtue of their infrastructure, transportation access, existing underutilized facilities, and local plans). The majority of districts approved to date have been qualified under the “highly suitable” standard. Twenty-seven municipalities in Eastern Massachusetts have created 40R overlay districts. Six districts are already underway, containing 1,013 housing units fully built or under construction. The largest completed developments are in North Reading (406 units built) and Haverhill (305 units built). Other districts allow for even more development (more than 1,000 units in Lawrence and nearly 700 units at Plymouth’s Cordage Park). Most districts were created in response to specific development proposals and/or involved projects underway before the district was created (including some 40B Comprehensive Permit developments converted to 40R projects).
North Andover—Osgood Landing
Lawrence—Arlington Mills Lowell—Downtown
Lunenburg—Tri-Town
North Reading—Berry Center, 406 Units Built Lynnfield—Planned Village Development
Reading—Gateway
Chelsea—Gerrish Avenue, 67 Units Built
Belmont—Oakley Neighborhood
Natick—Smart Growth Overlay District Grafton—Fisherville Mill
Norwood—St. George Avenue, 15 Units Built
Boston—Olmsted Green, 70 Units Built and 50 Under Construction
Sharon—Sharon Commons Easton—Queset Municipalities with Smart Growth Zoning Districts
Brockton—Downtown Kingston —1021 Kingston’s Place
Bridgewater—Waterford Village Plymouth—Cordage Park
40R District Type
In collaboration with the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, MAPC published The Use of Chapter 40R in Massachusetts as a Tool for Smart Growth and Affordable Housing Production in the Fall of 2009, examining how municipalities have used Chapter 40R since
the program was created.
Data Source: Department of Housing and Community Development
Area of Concentrated Development Highly Suitable Location Transit-Oriented District
Lakeville—Residences at Lakeville Station, 24 Units Built and 76 Under Construction
Dartmouth—Lincoln Park
Amesbury—Gateway Village
Haverhill—Downtown, 305 Units Built
Smart Growth Districts are catching on slowly across Eastern Massachusetts. The Smart Growth Zoning and Housing Production Act (generally known as Chapter 40R) offers financial incentives to encourage cities and towns to zone for compact residential and mixed-use development in smart growth locations. Since 2004, 27 cities and towns have adopted 40R districts with zoning for up to 9,780 housing units statewide, an increase of 9,000 permissible units as compared to the prior zoning. The statute sets out three types of smart growth locations: (1) locations within a half mile of a transit station; (2) locations that include an area of concentrated development; or (3) locations that are otherwise “highly suitable” (by virtue of their infrastructure, transportation access, existing underutilized facilities, and local plans). The majority of districts approved to date have been qualified under the “highly suitable” standard. Twenty-seven municipalities in Eastern Massachusetts have created 40R overlay districts. Six districts are already underway, containing 1,013 housing units fully built or under construction. The largest completed developments are in North Reading (406 units built) and Haverhill (305 units built). Other districts allow for even more development (more than 1,000 units in Lawrence and nearly 700 units at Plymouth’s Cordage Park). Most districts were created in response to specific development proposals and/or involved projects underway before the district was created (including some 40B Comprehensive Permit developments converted to 40R projects).
North Andover—Osgood Landing
Lawrence—Arlington Mills Lowell—Downtown
Lunenburg—Tri-Town
North Reading—Berry Center, 406 Units Built Lynnfield—Planned Village Development
Reading—Gateway
Chelsea—Gerrish Avenue, 67 Units Built
Belmont—Oakley Neighborhood
Natick—Smart Growth Overlay District Grafton—Fisherville Mill
Norwood—St. George Avenue, 15 Units Built
Boston—Olmsted Green, 70 Units Built and 50 Under Construction
Sharon—Sharon Commons Easton—Queset Municipalities with Smart Growth Zoning Districts
Brockton—Downtown Kingston —1021 Kingston’s Place
Bridgewater—Waterford Village Plymouth—Cordage Park
40R District Type
In collaboration with the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association, MAPC published The Use of Chapter 40R in Massachusetts as a Tool for Smart Growth and Affordable Housing Production in the Fall of 2009, examining how municipalities have used Chapter 40R since
the program was created.
Data Source: Department of Housing and Community Development
Area of Concentrated Development Highly Suitable Location Transit-Oriented District
Lakeville—Residences at Lakeville Station, 24 Units Built and 76 Under Construction
Dartmouth—Lincoln Park
