Springfield Zoning Ordinance Revision Project

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Springfield Zoning Ordinance Revision Project

• Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame
• April 25, 2006
• Planning and Economic Development Office
• Sponsored by a grant from the Office of
  Commonwealth Development

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Agenda April 25, 2006

• Presentation
• Purpose of project
• Zoning 101
• Issues being considered in revision
• Residential
• Commercial
• Street and Parking
• Signs
• Main objective tonight - your input on the
  project
• Comments, Question and Answer period

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Project Team

• City of Springfield
• Planning and Economic Development Office
• Building Department
• Legal Department

• Consulting Team
• Chris Eaton Eaton Planning
• Joel RussellJoel Russell Associates
• Rick TaintorTaintor Associates, Inc.
• Tim Heron

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Purpose of Project

• Clarity
• Make the zoning ordinance and subdivision
  regulation easier to understand and use for
• residents
• businesses
• officials
• Focus on the process and a better expression of
  community goals

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Purpose of Project

• Modernize the Zoning Ordinance
• Simplify and clarify zoning districts
• Address frequently raised conflicting use issues
  (for example, regulation of auto uses)
• Make improvements that enhance economic
  development opportunities

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Springfields Strengths

• Cohesive Neighborhoods
• Wide variety of housing styles
• Open spaces preserved over time
• Good examples of mixed uses
• Local redevelopment and infill projects that fit
  into context of neighborhoods

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How to maintain Springfields character?

• Traditional neighborhood design
• Efficient use of land in the city that avoids
  sprawl
• Design that considers the view from the public
  realm instead of from the individual lot
• Mixture of uses and housing styles
• Provide for different types of Transportation
• Regulations that are easy to understand and
  follow

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Create Successful Places
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Project Tasks

• March April Project kickoff, and public
  outreach
• June 2006 Audit Zoning Ordinances
• July to November 2006 work through draft of new
  Zoning Ordinance with Advisory Committee
• December 2006 present new Zoning Ordinance at
  public meeting
• 2007 public review, comment and adoption
  process to be determined

We are here
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Zoning 101

• How does Zoning Work?
• Establishes Districts
• Considers uses, impacts and scale
• Height, density, and intensity
• Establish relation to public streets and adjacent
  buildings
• Setbacks, lot size, landscaping, location of
  parking
• Design and construction of buildings
• Building codes, historic architectural features,
  signage

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Review of Springfields Existing Conditions and
Ordinances

• Springfields Zoning Districts
• Residential
• Commercial
• Industrial
• Riverfront
• West Columbus
• Special (flood, design overlay)

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Springfields Vulnerabilities related to Zoning

• Zoning uses and districts may not provide
  direction to development community
• Lack of certainty about land use and permit
  process may inhibit investment
• Commercial districts have little design
  consideration to match existing qualities
• Little design guidance for infill redevelopment

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Existing Residential
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Existing Residential
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Residential Infill
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Existing Commercial Districts

• Current Zoning Districts
• Business A General Business
• Business B Service Business
• Business C Central Business (Downtown)
• Commercial A Neighborhood Commercial
• Commercial P Parking Lot
• Mixture of uses allowed based on cumulative
  zoning

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Existing Commercial Districts

• Hierarchy of Commercial not captured in districts
  
• Corner Store
• Neighborhood Center (X District)
• Community Center/Urban Corridors (State
  Street/Indian Orchard Main Street)
• City Center (Downtown)
• Regional Shopping Mall (East Springfield Mall)

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Neighborhood Commercial Example
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Neighborhood Commercial Example
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Typical Commercial Development

• Long building with multiple tenants
• Depends on number of stores, but frequently
  7,500-10,000 square feet
• Typically 2-5 tenants along a continuous facade
• Fronted by a single bay of parking with
  additional parking in the rear in some cases

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Commercial Streets and Parking
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Commercial Streets and Parking
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Commercial Streets and Parking

• Consider design and location requirements
• Are parking rules too strict or too flexible?
• Are parking rules requiring too many spaces?
• Is shared parking encouraged/allowed?
• What about parking for bikes?

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Commercial Streets and Parking
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Sign Regulations

• We will be looking at the Sign provisions in the
  ordinance and revising and updating this
  important section

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Next Steps

• June 2006 Audit Zoning Ordinances
• July to November 2006 work through draft of new
  Zoning Ordinance with Advisory Committee
• December 2006 present new Zoning Ordinance at
  public meeting
• 2007 public review, comment and adoption
  process to be determined

Public Meeting
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Contact the City

• For more information
• Philip Dromey, Deputy Director
• Springfield Planning Economic Development
• 70 Tapley Street
• Springfield, MA 01104
• Telephone [phone]

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Your input is important

• Fill out survey form and leave at Welcome Table
• Watch the Planning and Economic Office Website
  for updates
• http//www.cityofspringfieldmass.com/COS/planning/