Mixed Use Zoning Takes Hold in Bedford; MAPC Toolkit Available
Article in May 2006 MAPC Regional Record by Chief Housing Planner Judith Alland.
To promote sustainable growth across metro Boston, MAPC is helping communities to develop and adopt mixed use overlay districts. These districts encourage a compatible, village-style mix of housing, retail, restaurants, offices, and civic uses that is more compact and pedestrian-friendly than traditional single-use zoning. By channeling development to areas with the necessary infrastructure, mixed use approaches help communities to protect undeveloped “greenfields” farther from central locations and offer diverse housing options.
In March, Bedford's Town Meeting passed the first of these bylaws for its Depot Park and North Road areas. MAPC worked with the town to identify local preferences, design the bylaws, and educate the public about the merits. Stow, Stoughton, Millis, and Southborough are also receiving MAPC’s assistance and will bring mixed use bylaws to town meetings in the near future.
As an outgrowth of these local experiences, MAPC has developed a Mixed Use Toolkit to promote the concept in other communities. Materials include:
The Commonwealth’s Priority Development Fund (PDF) provided support for development of the bylaws and the Powerpoint presentations. The Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (MAGIC), an MAPC subregion, funded development of the Visual Preference Poll and the Planners’ and Citizens’ guides. Contact Judith Alland or Mark Racicot for further information.
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