Committee Report - Land Use - 3-5-19 — File 207666

Land Use Committee Page 1 of 3 Printed 3/14/2019 March 5, 2019 REPORT OF THE LAND USE COMMITTEE MEETING AS A COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Lance L. Davis Chair Present William A. White Jr. Vice Chair Present Katjana Ballantyne Ward Seven City Councilor Absent Stephanie Hirsch City Councilor At Large Present Mary Jo Rossetti City Councilor at Large Absent Matthew McLaughlin Ward One City Councilor Absent Jefferson Thomas ("J.T.") Scott Ward Two City Councilor Present Ben Ewen-Campen Ward Three City Councilor Present Jesse Clingan Ward Four City Councilor Present Mark Niedergang Ward Five City Councilor Present Wilfred N. Mbah City Councilor at Large Absent Councilors Ballantyne, Rossetti and Mbah were attending a public meeting regarding pedestrian and bicycle safety on Powder House Blvd. Councilor McLaughlin was out sick. Others present: Senior Planner Dan Bartman - OSPCD, Fred Berman, Rositha Durham - Clerk of Committees. The meeting took place in the Council chamber and was called to order at 6:15 PM by Chairman Davis and adjourned at 9:25 PM. Chair Davis talked about what to expect for the Land Use committee over the next several weeks. There will be four public hearings next week on Open Space, Zoning for protection of trees, and the proposed Zoning Overhaul. Approval of the January 15, 2019 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED Approval of the January 29, 2019 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED

Land Use Committee Page 2 of 3 Printed 3/14/2019 206747: Requesting the adoption of a New Zoning Ordinance (9/2018 update) to supersede the current Zoning Ordinance as originally adopted on March 23, 1990. Mr. Bartman gave a presentation that included a list of potential meeting dates between now and July 11. The March 12 meeting will have four joint hearings: Open space, Tree protection and Zoning Overhaul. Mr. Bartman would like to bring in a parking consultant on April 22. Councilor Hirsch asked about NR and UR districts and how this will affect the zoning map. Mr. Bartman stated that any amendment to the map needs to go to the GIS consultant very soon so that version 4 in April will show all the changes. Councilor Niedergang suggested having a couple of meetings on the proposed Zoning Ordinance in June and cut back on the Budget Hearing meetings. The revised zoning ordinance will be provided in red-line form with changes in version 4 tracked against version 3. There were discussions on several points in the presentation, including NR setbacks and examples of distances in other communities outside of Massachusetts, the concept of accessory apartments, and the use of carriage houses. Chair Davis noted that Mr. Bartman’s presentation can be found at www.somervillezoning.com for any members of the public that would like to review the detailed slides. Councilors Ewen-Campen, Scott, and Niedergang each introduced potential proposals for amendments to the proposed zoning overhaul. Councilor Niedergang sponsored Mr. Berman to speak on certain proposals that are specific to affordable housing and that were primarily drafted by Mr. Berman. The members asked questions of Mr. Berman as well as Mr. Bartman. Councilor Niedergang noted that he already has some changes that he plans to make to the proposals at a future date. Chair Davis agreed to a request by Councilors Niedergang and White that the written submissions from Councilors Ewen-Campen, Scott, and Niedergang be attached to the record so that they can be viewed by the public. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 207306: Planning Board conveying its recommendations re: #206747, requesting adoption of a new Zoning Ordinance to supersede the current Zoning Ordinance as originally adopted on March 23, 1990. See item #206747. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 206481: 18 registered voters submitting a proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment to add a new Section 17.8 re: open space requirements for mid-rise and high-rise buildings. Items 5 and 6 were discussed together. The Chair stated that there are two separate proposals to address the creation of open space and that the administration has been working with the drafters of the citizen’s petition on a unified approach. Mr. Bartman will meet with Mr. Shelton when he returns from being out the country. Mr. Bartman went through a Slide presentation that included discussion of the two open space amendments. Chair Davis noted that the presentation is available at www.somervillezoning.com for members of the public that wish to review the detailed slides. Mr. Bartman raised a couple of questions about what share of the remaining 88.25 acres needed to reach the SomerVision goal of 125 new publicly accessible acres will be required as part of the new development and how this could be funded. Mr. Bartman discussed

Land Use Committee Page 3 of 3 Printed 3/14/2019 “dos and don’ts” of Zoning for Public Space Creation along with clarifying the difference between public space and civic space. Mr. Bartman will provide complete presentation prior to the public hearings on the two open space amendments on March 12. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 207460: 18 registered voters submitting a proposed Zoning Ordinance amendment to add a new Section 17.8 re: open space requirements for mid-rise and high-rise buildings. See item #206481 RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 205244: 15 registered voters proposing an amendment to the Zoning Ordinances by adding a new Ordinance 7.16 regulating certain buildings near heavily trafficked roadways. Mr. Bartman gave a presentation with slides that included a brief update on the status of this items. Chair Davis noted that the presentation is available at www.somervillezoning.com for members of the public that wish to review the detailed slides. Committee members asked questions, including about air quality, the different types of particles generated by cars, and whether the ordinance can specify or require a certain type of filter. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 207332: Submitting proposed amendments the Zoning Ordinance to establish new open space requirements in the Assembly Sq Mixed Use District, Transit Oriented Districts, and Planned Unit Developments. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 207461: Submitting an amendment to the Zoning Ordinance for the Protection of Significant Trees, by amending Article 2-Definitions and Article 10-Landscaping. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Handouts: • Zoning Overhaul (with 206747) • 20190225-ZoningMap-BEC-amendments (with 206747) • 20190210-BEC-ZoningComments (with 206747) • Formula Personal Services (Scott)-1 (with 206747) • Niedergang Aff Hsg Amendments to Zoning 2-28-19 (with 206747) • Niedergang Zoning Overhaul proposed amendments Feb 2019 - General (with 206747) • SmallBiz Overlay District Amendment (Scott) (with 206747)