Committee Report - Land Use - 10-25-16 — File 202279

Land Use Committee Page 1 of 2 Printed 11/14/2016 October 25, 2016 REPORT OF THE LAND USE COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Lance L. Davis Chair Present Mark Niedergang Vice Chair Present William A. White Jr. Alderman At Large Present Matthew McLaughlin Ward One Alderman Present Maryann M. Heuston Ward Two Alderman Present Robert J. McWatters Ward Three Alderman Present Tony Lafuente Ward Four Alderman Present Katjana Ballantyne Ward Seven Alderman Present John M. Connolly Alderman At Large Present Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Present Mary Jo Rossetti Alderman at Large Present Others present: George Proakis - OSPCD, Dan Baston - OSPCD, Tim Snyder - Mayor’s Office, Charles Sillari - Clerk of Committees. The meeting took place in the Committee Room and was called to order at 6:11 PM by Alderman Davis and adjourned at 8:30 PM. 200787: Proposing a new Article 16B in the city's Zoning Ordinances, with attendant Zoning Map changes, to establish a minimum mixed use ratio in designated areas. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 201843: Requesting an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to create a new "CCD-55 Commercial" subdistrict, a new "CCD-45 Commercial" subdistrict, a new Section 5.8: Coordinated Development Special Permit, a new Section 6.7: Union Square Overlay District, and to make related changes to Article 5 and the Zoning Map. Mr. Proakis spoke about the infrastructure cost associated with the development of Union Square and the GLX. He discussed map adequacy and requested an official statement from the Law Department. The Union Square overlay district will have different categories, depending upon its distance from the neighborhoods. Mr. Proakis discussed the 61%/39% commercial/residential

Land Use Committee Page 2 of 2 Printed 11/14/2016 proposal and said that a job requires 350 s/f and a residence requires 1,100 s/f. Lab buildings require more space per worker than office buildings. Zoning should call for 5 jobs per housing unit. Some areas could wind up being more residential, but overall, the 61/39 ratio will be followed. Alderman Ballantyne asked for the numbers at a 67%/33% ratio. Aldermen Rossetti and Heuston spoke about the need for affordable commercial space to accommodate small businesses. Among the topics discussed were green area ratio, open space, publicly accessible open space, artist space, landscape, pocket parks, increased sidewalk width, residential space, lab space and transit. Alderman White spoke about the Union Square plan’s impact on the entire city, noting that the projected return at Assembly Square did not happen. He requested an overall rendering of what the open space will be and expressed his preference for combining open space to create large useable areas. Alderman Rossetti stated that constituents want a minimum of 30% open space - excluding sidewalks and streets. She spoke about the development project at the old Powder House school and requested pictures and visuals to better understand the proposal. Alderman Heuston stated that she is not a proponent of “payment in lieu” of open space and would like pedestrian circulation excluded from open space, adding that open space should be civic space. She also asked why Union Square and Boynton Yards are being discussed together rather than separately. Alderman Niedergang spoke about his concerns for enforcing the plan, height issues and commercial vs. residential percentages. The Planning Board will be meeting on Nov. 3rd. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Handouts: • Union Square Zoning Amendment dated 10-25-16 (with 201843) • Proposed Ordinance (with 201843) • Table 7.13 - Table of Use Clusters (with 201843) • Updated Maps (with 201843)