Land Use

MAPC’s Land Use division provides a number of programs for our member municipalities, including:

• Participation in the preparation and the implementation of MetroFuture, the region’s long term regional plan;
• Providing advice to the MAPC Legislative Committee and Executive Committee regarding land-use-related proposed legislation;
• Staffing the 8 MAPC subregions, which provide forums for municipal officials and other community leaders to discuss open space, housing, economic development, transportation and other issues of mutual interest; and
• Providing technical assistance to individual, or groups of, municipalities on a range of land use and zoning issues.

For more information on the Land Use Division, please contact Mark Racicot at mracicot@mapc.org or at 617-451-2770, ext. 2063.

Planning Related Technical Assistance

MAPC has a broad range of expertise to assist municipalities in their planning programs. Our staff of professional planners regularly undertakes planning projects for our 101 member communities. In keeping with our strategic plan, projects must be of regional significance; either because they involve several municipalities working together, have implications beyond the boundaries of a single municipality, or serve as an example for other municipalities to follow.

MAPC undertakes these special projects on a fee-for-service basis. We also work with municipalities to help secure appropriate state or federal funding to pay for each project.

Questions?

Contact Land Use Division Manager Mark Racicot at mracicot@mapc.org, Environmental Division Manager Martin Pillsbury at mpillsbury@mapc.org, or Transportation Manager Eric Bourassa at ebourassa@mapc.org.

What's New

Comprehensive Land Use Reform and Partnership Act approved by Legislative Committee

For the first time in many years, legislation regarding how the Commonwealth and local communities regulate land use has been favorably voted out of a legislative committee at the State House.

Based upon testimony received at State House hearings last year, the Comprehensive Land Use Reform and Partnership Act (CLURPA) was drafted by Senator James Eldridge and incorporates concepts that were proposed in a pair of competing bills, the Land Use Partnership Act and the Community Planning Act. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council, along with its partners in the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, provided input during the drafting to help to ensure that significant reforms were included for all communities, that the balance between the community and the development interests were maintained, and that significant benefits were provided for communities that undertook the additional planning efforts proposed under the Partnership Act portion of the bill.

In releasing the bill, chairmen Senator Eldridge and Representative Donato stated that the bill will:

• Offer a clear and readable statute that can be easily used and understood by planners, citizens, municipal officials, developers, and others
• Offer significant zoning reform benefits to all communities
• Encourage municipalities to adopt policies consistent with the  state’s Sustainable Development Principles
• Take the best ideas from LUPA and CPA2 , stakeholders, and from related bills filed with the committee
• Provide developers with more prompt and predictable permitting opportunities
• Consider options that lead to more consistency in zoning and permitting across the Commonwealth

See the links below for a copy of the bill as well as a full summary of the legislation. For more information, contact Mark Racicot at mracicot@mapc.org.

Comprehensive Land Use Reform and Partnership Act (CLURPA) Documents

• CLURPA Summary 5.18.10
• CLURPA with annotations 5.18.10

Weymouth Landing

MAPC, thanks to funding from the District Local Technical Assistance program, is working with the towns of Braintree and Weymouth to develop a shared vision and plan for Weymouth Landing. This traditional business district, straddling the border of Braintree and Weymouth, is an ideal site for compact transit oriented development that can provide services, jobs, housing, and tax revenue for the surrounding communities. MAPC is using a 3-D computer model of the district and interactive public workshop formats to engage residents, merchants, and community leaders in deliberations about zoning, parking, pedestrian safety, and economic development.

Learn more about MAPC's work and watch a video of the 3-D model by visiting the Weymouth Landing page.

Select Reports

Belmont, Lexington, and Waltham Subarea Study (September 2009)

The Belmont, Lexington, Waltham Subarea (Trapelo Road) Study addresses an area encompassing Route 128 on the west, the Waverly MBTA station on the east, Route 2 on the north to Totten Pond Road, and Beaver Street on the south, with Trapelo Road running through the center. This study of Trapelo Road corridor land development and the related transportation impacts provides insights into how to address and plan for these developments throughout the Boston MPO region.

Low Impact Development Toolkit

Low Impact Development is a set of strategies that treat stormwater management as a site design problem, not an exercise in sizing storm drains and detention ponds. This publication is one component of the Massachusetts Low Impact Development Toolkit, produced by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, in coordination with the I-495 MetroWestCorridor Partnership, and with financial support from United States Environmental Protection Agency.

The Mixed Use Zoning Toolkit (March 2006)

Mixed Use Zoning: A Planners Guide presents the fundamentals you need to plan a mixed use bylaw. A version of the guide for citizens is also available for download. This guide is based primarily on the experiences of five suburban communities that have prepared bylaws with assistance from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), supported by grants from the state’s Priority Development Fund.

The Conservation Subdivision Design (CSD) Project (July 2000)

The CSD project was conducted by MAPC and funded by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. CSD is arguably the best reform made to traditional cluster-type zoning to date. This project is intended to serve as an educational tool particularly for town planners, planning boards, and developers. The project includes positive examples of cluster-type subdivision and outlines the benefits of land development practices that consider environmental, cultural, and fiscal resources as equally important priorities.

Recent Projects

Smart Zoning bylaws

MAPC has worked with Bedford, Millis and Stoughton to prepare mixed-use overlay zoning districts, in which residential multi-family uses are integrated into village centers in conjunction with retail and office uses (usually in the form of condominiums or apartments built over the commercial uses). MAPC also developed a Mixed Use Tool Kit to assist other municipalities in exploring mixed-use bylaws.

Over the past several years, MAPC undertook studies, ran community forums, and developed a range of potential smart zoning bylaws for the towns of Arlington, Bellingham, Norfolk, Randolph, Stoughton and Walpole.

Topsfield Storm-Water Bylaw and Water Conservation Plan

In 2005, MAPC worked with the Town of Topsfield on new storm water regulations to implement Low Impact Development design techniques at the municipal level. In 2006, work included preparation of a Water Conservation Plan and recommendations for bylaws, including Open Space Residential Design. These efforts were funded by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Smart Growth Technical Assistance Fund.

Malden City Vision

This process, led by MAPC and the Malden Planning Board, involved a city-wide visioning session, a city wide survey, and ward-level discussions of issues and opportunities, which resulted in a vision statement and action plan to guide city activities. The year-long visioning project was funded by the city, and has continued with MAPC working with the city on implementation steps.

Chapter 43D Priority Development Sites

MAPC meets with communities to provide information on the benefits of the Chapter 43D economic development program, is working with Canton, Littleton and Randolph on expedited permit activities, and helped to produce a Best Practices Model for Streamlined Local Permitting for communities to consider.

Smart Growth Zoning Districts: Chapter 40R

Chapter 40R encourages communities to establish high density smart growth residential zoning districts by providing funding and other state incentives to communities that establish such zones. MAPC worked with municipal representatives to provide input to the state on this legislation,  served on the advisory committee developing regulations for implementing this new law, and is working with communities interested in establishing 40R districts.

Corridor Zoning Analyses

With funding from the District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program, MAPC is currently assisting communities on a variety of corridor planning projects, including analyzing future commercial and industrial growth and effects of that growth on the Route 9 corridor from Wellesley through Southborough. MAPC is also examining alternative land use patterns that lessen the impacts of future growth.

Design Review Guidelines

MAPC prepared detailed guidelines for use by the local planning boards and design review committees in evaluating developments proposed under the Stoughton and Canton Center mixed-use overlay districts. The Canton Center Design Review Guidelines were funded by the town; the Stoughton Center Design Review Guidelines were funded by the Commonwealth under the Priority Development Fund.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans

MAPC has completed Natural Hazard Mitigation Plans for 72 cities and towns. Each plan includes a GIS map series depicting areas subject to various natural hazards; an inventory of critical facilities and infrastructure; a vulnerability analysis; and a mitigation strategy with recommended actions to reduce vulnerability. In 2010 MAPC will be completing the final set of plans for the region, which includes 17 communities.

Stormwater/Low-Impact Development

MAPC will worked with the communities of Cohasset, Marshfield, Scituate, Bellingham, Millis, Lexington and Wakefield to help draft bylaws and implement regulations for Storm water Management and Low Impact Development. The project was funded by a Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant from Coastal Zone Management. MAPC will continued similar work in other the towns of Hopkinton, Ipswich, Sudbury, and Wilmington, with help funding from the Massachusetts Environmental Trust funding.

Chapter 40B Land Area Analysis

At the request of Woburn, MAPC undertook an analysis of whether the city met the minimum percentage of land allocated for affordable housing under the Chapter 40B (the state law which mandates that each municipality's housing stock include a minimum affordable component). The results indicated that Woburn would soon meet the minimum percent of land area in affordable housing, and would no longer be required to approve comprehensive permits under Chapter 40B.

Development Peer Review: South Weymouth Naval Air Station

MAPC worked with Weymouth, Abington, and Rockland and the South Shore Tri-Town Development Commission to review and propose recommended changes to the planned redevelopment of the South Weymouth Naval Air Station into a new "Smart Growth Village." This effort was partially funded by the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD).

Master Plans and Community Development Plans

Over the years, MAPC has completed a wide range of planning activities including Master Plans, Housing Plans and Open Space Plans for communities. MAPC also completed Community Development Plans for a wide range of MAPC communities under a state-funded program several years ago. Services are provided to communities either with MAPC as a sole consultant, or in partnership with private planning firms.

Non-Point Water Pollution Control: Lake Cochituate Study

MAPC undertook an analysis of non-point source pollution of this regional water resource, and made recommendations to improve future water quality. This work involved the communities of Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Sherborn and Wayland, and was funded by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Urban Watershed Management: Mystic River Watershed

MAPC worked with the town of Arlington and the city of Woburn to identify urban runoff and other pollution sources to Horn Pond and Spy Pond, and developed a set of recommendations to guide the communities in water quality improvement efforts. The project was funded by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Alternative Futures Analysis: the Weston Nurseries Project

MAPC worked with the towns of Hopkinton, Ashland and Southborough to analyze the implications of alternative future developments for the 900+ acre Weston Nurseries property, and to examine the potential for development of the site in accordance with MAPC's Smart Growth Principles and the state's Sustainable Development Principles. The analysis included impacts on traffic, open space and natural resources, demand for municipal water and sewer, and municipal finances. The project was funded by a Smart Growth Technical Assistance grant.

Alternative Energy: North Shore Wind Project

MAPC worked with 10 North Shore communities to explore potential for land-based wind energy development, examine most appropriate locations for wind turbines, and write local regulations to enable wind energy projects. This was funded by the Community Wind Program of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative.