[Massplanners] Mandatory Mixed Use - 3A Zoning Question

[Katharine Lacy]

You could speak with a developer who has built some mixed use buildings….

On Tue, Jul 16, 2024 at 11:48 AM janetmcgowan30--- via MassPlanners <
massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:

> This is a great question!  We keep hearing about what developers can do
> and can’t do financially but never any numbers to support these claims
>  There is a 3 story mixed use building just proposed in Florence (a village
> of Northampton) and I presume it’s economically viable.
>
> If Belmont goes to 4 floors, consider requiring a step back to keep a
> human scale street feel and compatibility with surrounding buildings.
>
> Janet McGowan
> Amherst, ex-Planning Board member
>
>
> On Jul 16, 2024, at 10:54 AM, Ryan, Christopher via MassPlanners <
> massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:
>
> Good morning planners
>
> I am having a lot of trouble finding resources to verify an assumption
> that mixed use buildings are generally not viable at 3 stories and require
> at least 3 stories of residential in addition to the ground floor
> commercial to be feasible to develop in the current market. We’ve been
> counseled on this by several consultants but have not been able to find any
> journal articles, newspaper pieces, memos, white papers, or anything else
> that definitively provides evidence for this.
>
> Since we are seeking to establish a mandatory mixed use zoning subdistrict
> in Belmont, we’d like to be able to provide information to our citizens who
> are skeptical about this assumption and would rather we limit MMU to 3
> stories total. Does anyone have information which could help us with our
> outreach for this provision?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Chris R.
>
> ====================================================
> *Christopher J. Ryan, AICP, Ph.D.*
> Director of Planning & Building
> Town of Belmont
> 19 Moore Street
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/19+Moore+Street+Belmont,+MA+02478-0900?entry=gmail&source=g>
> Belmont, MA 02478-0900
> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/19+Moore+Street+Belmont,+MA+02478-0900?entry=gmail&source=g>
> Tel: 617.993.2658
> Email: cryan at belmont-ma.gov
> Web: https://www.belmont-ma.gov/office-of-planning-building
> ===================================================
>
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