[Massplanners] Mandatory Mixed Use - 3A Zoning Question

[B]

Likely very market dependent, including what part of town.  I would think
it's a function of what they think they can get for the commercial rents
combined with the residential unit rents.  Whether additional building
requirements are triggered might also be a factor on ROI.

I agree with Katherine's mention of step backs for 4 stories depending on
street scale.  With good neighborhood design standards and housing needs, 4
(or more?) stories might even be preferable for neighborhood vibrancy, as
well as addressing housing needs more sustainably.




Best,

Bill Fitzgerald
Taunton Planning Board


On Tue, Jul 16, 2024 at 2:02 PM Richard McCarthy via MassPlanners <
massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:

> Chris,
>
>
>
> It’s a challenging question to answer.  I’m sure you know there are so
> many variables in doing mixed use.   We struggle with the same questions
> here. I remember 3 years ago when we working on increasing building height
> from 2 ½ stories to  3 stories people were very concerned.  We have a great
> mixed use building in town center that is 2 ½ stories that is fully
> occupied. We explained how that project at 2 ½ stories was pretty unique
> in that that a local bank owned the property received site plan approval
> couldn’t afford to build a standalone bank. The bank partnered bank with a
> local developer to build a mixed use building which they are a tenant with
> other tenants.
>
>
>
> We are tackling this topic again if I have anything I will share.
>
>
>
> Please share what you have.
>
>
>
> Thanks.
>
>
>
> Richard J. McCarthy, Jr.
>
> Town Planner
>
> 1 Liberty Lane
>
> Norfolk, MA 02056
>
> 508-440-2807
>
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>
> *From:* MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> *On Behalf Of *Ryan,
> Christopher via MassPlanners
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 16, 2024 10:55 AM
> *To:* massplanners at masscptc.org
> *Subject:* [Massplanners] Mandatory Mixed Use - 3A Zoning Question
>
>
>
> 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
>
> Belmont, MA 02478-0900
>
> Tel: 617.993.2658
>
> Email: cryan at belmont-ma.gov
>
> Web: https://www.belmont-ma.gov/office-of-planning-building
>
> ===================================================
>
>
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